Ministry of Agriculture will release R$600 to combat locust clouds in RS

The Ministry of Agriculture is expected to release R$600 in resources to assist Rio Grande do Sul in combating the locust cloud that is currently in Argentina, if it moves to the State. The promise was made during a meeting held in Brasília on Wednesday, July 22, between Minister Tereza Cristina and the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, Covatti Filho.

The amount transferred by the ministry can be used to purchase products for phytosanitary treatment and contract application services. “Another idea presented is the search for a cooperation agreement with Argentina and Uruguay to help control insects in their territories, in order to allow the entry of planes to apply insecticides in Argentina, for example”, says secretary Covatti Filho .

The minister and the secretary also discussed details of the process of withdrawing the foot-and-mouth disease vaccine in Rio Grande do Sul, a measure that will allow the opening of new markets for meat from Rio Grande do Sul. The last stage of vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease was brought forward from May to March this year, so that the State could file a request to withdraw the vaccine. At the moment, the Secretariat is completing compliance with the 18 notes raised by the Ministry during an audit carried out last year.

Drought and irrigation on the agenda

Emergency measures to help producers affected by this year's drought and assistance with irrigation programs were also points of discussion at the meeting between minister Tereza Cristina and secretary Covatti Filho.

The minister confirmed that the National Monetary Council must vote by the end of this month on the proposal to extend, from April 9th ​​to June 30th, the deadline for qualifying municipalities that have declared a state of emergency. “This includes the 30% of producers who were unable to access relief measures because their municipalities only obtained the decrees after April 9”, explains the secretary.

The Ministry of Agriculture also guaranteed support for the Secretariat's irrigation program, and should release resources for the acquisition of machines.