Brazilian agriculture is a key element in combating global food insecurity

Two studies recently released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warn of the fragility of food security on the planet. The first reveals that three billion people cannot afford an effectively healthy diet. Another billion would be included in this contingent if the persistent current crisis causes a reduction in their current income by a third. Brazil, a global protagonist in food production, as well as agro-industrial inputs, is essential to combat the problem. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the risks inherent to Brazilian agriculture.

The second report - The State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) - reveals that hunger affects 811 million people, with serious consequences for childhood. Around 22% of children were affected by malnutrition in the pandemic. More than 149 million children under the age of five were stunted or short for their age, and approximately 45 million were stunted or too thin for their height, as of 2020.

Given this situation, the first study, entitled State of World Agriculture and Food 2021 (SOFA), recommends that countries make their agri-food systems more resistant to sudden shocks, such as that caused by the new coronavirus. In fact, it is essential to be prepared for contingencies, since, as the FAO considers, unpredictable shocks will continue to cause damage to agri-food systems. Therefore, corroborating the concern of the UN body, everyone must have learned from the hard lessons of the pandemic that we are still facing.

According to FAO, global agri-food systems produce 11 billion tons of food annually and employ millions of people, directly or indirectly. It is essential and urgent to strengthen its ability to resist shocks.

And Brazil is a key piece of this immense puzzle, as long as the necessary measures are taken for the sector. Therefore, we have insisted on the need to expand rural credit, with lower interest rates, remembering that the resources of the 2022 Harvest Plan, although they have increased in nominal terms, are insufficient to fully meet demand.

We have also suggested and called for specific measures to deal with emergencies, such as the water crisis, frost, drought and fires, which affected our sector in Brazil in 2021, worsening the difficulties caused by the pandemic.

From the Union, we asked for a credit line for the recovery of damaged coffee plantations, made available with Funcafé resources, and the creation of another, with a repayment period and easier conditions, to enable the recovery of the productive structure and maintenance of agricultural activities affected by the bad weather.

To the São Paulo government, we reiterate the need to supplement the subsidy to the rural insurance premium, requesting R＄ 100 million, extension of current financing installments with resources from the Agribusiness Expansion Fund and creation of an emergency credit line to recover the productive structure and maintenance of agricultural activities affected by frost.

We also firmly defend national agriculture from unfounded attacks, such as the Chinese embargo and threats from the European Union, which have already been overcome, and we celebrate two victories: the fulfillment, by the Federal Government, of our entity's request to extend until December 31, 2021 the deadline for vaccinating cattle and buffalo herds in São Paulo against foot-and-mouth disease; approval, in the Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo, of the law that reduces bureaucracy for the production of artisanal products, for which we also ask for exemption from ICMS.

In the context of FAO's lucid recommendation on the urgent need to increase the resilience of agri-food systems, it is worth highlighting the resilience and resilience of Brazilian rural producers, who did not stop working a single day throughout the pandemic, guaranteeing production and supplying domestic and foreign markets. However, the counterpart from public authorities is always important, as the statistics and recommendations of the UN multilateral body clearly demonstrate.