Agência Brasil
Brasília – Until the end of 2005, Brazil will have exceeded the goal of 500 thousand hectares of planted forests, established for 2007, in the beginning of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government, announced the Minister of Environment, Marina Silva. At the ceremony to celebrate 100 years of planted forests in the country, the Minister recalled that in 2002 there were 320 thousand planted hectares, and in 2004 this number jumped to 475 thousand. "It was an achievement of the productive sector. We have the potential to go even further, using Brazilian native species," she said.
According to Silva, the Ministry of Environment is elaborating a long-term plan to stimulate the use of Brazilian native species in silviculture activities.
Silva mentioned that activities related to the silviculture sector represent 4% of the GDP (gross domestic product). The total planted area is increasing due to government programs, such as the National Forests Program, created in 2003, as well as to new lines of credit. In 2002, loans added up to US$747 thousand (R$ 2 million). This number was US$7.4 million (R$ 20 million) in 2004, and will reach US$18.6 million (R$ 50 million) this year. "The goal for 2007 is to finance at least US$37.3 million (R$ 100 million)," she said.
