Mapa and government of Mato Grosso sign agreement to decentralize seed inspection

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) and the government of the State of Mato Grosso signed this Wednesday (29/06) two technical cooperation agreements aimed at seed inspection. The first aims to decentralize the activity of monitoring the use of seeds and seedlings on rural properties. The project is a pioneer in the country and should serve as a model for other states.

The second is a transfer of resources of R$4,5 million from the federal government to the Mato Grosso Agricultural Defense Institute (Indea), to be used in the border inspection system.

For the Minister of Agriculture, Blairo Maggi, the way out of the Brazilian crisis is through Mato Grosso, as it is the largest agricultural state in the country. Hence the importance of the cooperation agreements signed this Wednesday, which decentralize seed inspection, preventing phytosanitary problems from occurring in MT, as there will be an increase in the number of inspectors working.

Governor Pedro Taques highlighted that the signed cooperation agreement “will reduce bureaucracy” in the sector and will make it advance even further in the Brazilian economy. Taques said that Mato Grosso had a surplus of around US$13 billion last year, which helped to improve the country's trade balance. “We helped Brazil a lot. Now, Brazil needs to help Mato Grosso and a cooperation agreement like this is a sign in this direction.”

Blairo Maggi also made a point of highlighting the importance of decentralizing inspection, considering that the state's presence in inspection will be much greater than that of the Ministry of Agriculture itself. “Between producers and consumers there is a system that is very monitored, which is the issue of health, which we cannot fail at any time”, he pointed out.

Brazil is one of the largest grain exporters in the world, and the minister's intention is to expand this market. In this sense, according to Maggi, a failure in inspection that affects the quality of production could cause damage to the country's exports, compromising the economy.

Decentralization of supervision is an old demand from the agricultural sector. The producers had already submitted several requests to the ministry.

Regarding the agreement that guarantees the transfer of R$4,5 million to the state, the minister highlighted the money will be sent to Indea for actions in the agricultural inspection system in Mato Grasso, including the borders.