Tereza Cristina affirms commitment to advancing rural insurance concessions

Minister Tereza Cristina (Agriculture, Livestock and Supply) participated this Wednesday (20) in the 10th Harvest Forecast Meeting, promoted by the National Association of Cereal Exporters (Anec) and the National Association of Cotton Exporters (Anea), in Brasilia. She stated that the big challenge is to discuss the size of the resources that the government will have for the 2019/2020 Harvest Plan and move forward with the granting of rural insurance, so that all producers have more peace of mind to work.

Tereza Cristina said that among her biggest concerns is the reduction in freight costs, which is making production more expensive and harming the agribusiness chain. According to her, the pricing instituted by the Michel Temer government after last year's truck drivers' strike is worrying. 

Among the biggest opportunities for the Brazilian market, the minister cited the possible new markets to be opened to pig producers in China and other Asian countries, as a result of the African plague that affects producing countries.

In addition to the shipping price problem, the minister heard complaints regarding the increase in taxation on agricultural products in states, such as Mato Grosso, and the logistical problems for storage and flow. 

The executive secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Marcelo Sampaio Cunha Filho, gave a broad explanation of the department's projects for the concession of highways, ports and railways. He explained that the objective is to count on the help of the private sector to resolve the country's logistics bottlenecks and, with that, the costs of agricultural production, in order to make it even more competitive on the international market.