São Paulo – Agricultural laboratories linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply are going to receive 46 million Brazilian reals (US$ 25 million) this year. According to information disclosed at the ministry’s website, out of that total, 9 million reals (US$ 4.9 million) will be allocated to investment, and the remainder will cover expenses.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in the last three years, 140 million reals (US$ 76 million) were allocated to the laboratories, located in the states of Goiás, Minas Gerais, Pará, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Sul, and São Paulo, and to 878 public and private labs accredited by the government.
According to the general coordinator of Laboratory Support at the Agricultural Defence Secretariat, Jorge Caetano, the network is growing due to the rising Brazilian agricultural output and exports. "The objective is a continual increase in the quality of laboratory analyses of products of animal and vegetable origin before they reach the consumers," he stated.
The number of analyses grew by 168.6%, over the last five years, having gone from 8.6 million in 2005 to 23.1 million in 2009. The laboratories count on 485 federal agricultural inspectors, including agronomists, veterinarians, chemist and pharmacists, and 548 undergraduate and graduate employees, who operate in 16 different fields.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
