Brasília – The 2014/2015 Brazilian Family Farming Crop Plan launched this Monday (26th) by president Dilma Rousseff will have a R$ 24.1 billion (US$ 10.7) budget for investment and funding. The budget is up 14.7% from the past crop. The interest rates remain the same, from 0.5% to 3.5% per annum.
One of the plan’s nine actions is Pronaf Produção Orientada (National Family Farming Program – Oriented Production), a line of credit for sustainable food production focusing on the Northeast, North and Midwest. The line targets agroforestry systems projects, semiarid subsistence techniques, agroecology, and food production for supplying urban centres. The credit ceiling is R$ 40,000 (US$ 17,945) and technical assistance is guaranteed up to a maximum of R$ 3,300 (US$ 1,480). The Semiarid Crop Plan budget will be R$ 4.6 billion (US$ 2 billion).
“These measures are intended to increase food production in our country, especially agro-ecological food production. We want to ensure an income to farmers, and through increased output we want to help make prices stable for Brazilian consumers,” said Agrarian Development minister Miguel Rossetto.
Minister Miguel Rossetto said providing training at agrarian reform settlements will be one of the Crop Plan priorities. A credit line named Crédito de Instalação (Settlement Credit) has been established for families who are starting their lives at settlements, offering a maximum of R$ 14,200 (US$ 6,370) per family for purchasing essential items and initial farming needs.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
