Present in the 497 municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul, Emater/RS-Ascar, linked to the State Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development (Seapdr), provides Technical Assistance and Rural and Social Extension to farmers in Rio Grande do Sul in the most different areas. The development of projects to access the resources of the Safra Plan is one of the activities carried out by rural extension workers.
The 2021/2022 Harvest Plan launched by the Federal Government came into effect on July 1st and foresees the investment of R$251,2 billion in areas such as funding, marketing, industrialization and investment. Resources can be accessed by small and medium-sized producers, corporate farmers, cooperatives, agricultural companies and agribusinesses.
To access the Safra Plan, the farmer must contact his financial agency to check the availability of the resource and update his registration data. Then, the producer must look for a technician to prepare the project. “In this sense, Emater offices, present in all municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, and technical teams are available to carry out projects and guide farmers on procedures to ensure a good harvest and also on guidelines for farmers not to lose their insurance. agricultural sector or Proagro”, highlights the rural extensionist at Emater/RS-Ascar, Olívio Pedro Faccin.
Among the main lines of credit available are the National Program for Strengthening Family Agriculture (Pronaf) with available resources worth R$39,3 billion for funding and investment projects, with interest rates ranging from 3% to 4,5% per year according to the activities financed; the National Support Program for Medium Rural Producers (Pronamp) with interest on funding projects of 5,5% per year and on investment projects of 6,5% per year. For other producers, interest on funding is 7,5% per year and for investments, rates of 7,5% to 8% per year. “Pronaf’s limits remain the same for funding. There were no changes”, observes Faccin.
Among the main changes to Pronaf presented in the 2021/2022 Harvest Plan are interest rates and limits on resources that can be accessed by farmers. In the case of investment, the value increased to R$ 200 thousand; fruit farming, pig farming, dairy farming, fish farming and shrimp farming (shrimp farming) the limits are R$ 400 thousand. “There was also an increase in the limits of Pronaf Housing, which stood at R$60 thousand, an increase in gross income to qualify for Pronaf, which rose to R$500 thousand and in the case of Pronaf A, for beneficiaries of land credit programs and of agrarian reform, it was R$30 thousand”, observes Faccin.
Another policy that the farmer can have access to is agricultural insurance or the Agricultural Activity Guarantee Program (Proagro). To access insurance coverage, producers must be aware of some criteria even before planting crops. The rural extension agent explains that the farmer must carry out planting within the period recommended by the agricultural climate risk zoning for the crop and provide chemical analysis of the soil for a maximum period of two years and physical analysis of the soil for a maximum period of ten years. “Although these analyzes are not mandatory for access to rural credit, they will be required for access to agricultural insurance. Therefore, the farmer must provide these analyzes and their interpretation”, he advises.
The analyzes must include the name of the producer, wife or owner of the land, the area to which the analysis corresponds and the registration number or location where the crop is located. A sketch of the area must also be drawn up, which must coincide with the area to be financed. “If the producer changes the area where he will cultivate, he must replace the sketch with the credit agent within a maximum period of 30 days after the period scheduled for the end of planting”, advises Faccin. Invoices for the inputs applied must still be kept, which may be in the name of the producer, wife, son or father of the rural producer as long as they do not have financing in their names.
In the case of using seeds reserved for own planting, the farmer must have a note of the seeds acquired in the previous year in the quantity compatible with the area to be planted. And, by adhering to Pronamp, the farmer must also have Annex 33 registered with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa). Annex 33 is a form in which the farmer declares the variety that will be used as seeds for his own planting.
Another important factor that must be observed by farmers so as not to lose access to Proagro or agricultural insurance is, when observing crop losses, to notify the financial agent immediately, especially in the case of windstorm, hail or frost. “In the case of these events, the farmer must also notify the Emater office in his municipality. Since 2020, there must be proof of this climatic event in the locality. One of the ways to prove this is through meteorological data. But normally a windstorm, hail and frost do not appear in these data and credit agencies end up requesting Emater's report. And the technician does not always know about the occurrence of these events, especially in municipalities with a larger area, as they are isolated events. That is why it is recommended that farmers register at the offices”, concludes Faccin.
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Highlights include crops such as wheat, soybeans, sorghum, sunflower, grapes, oranges, cassava and bananas, which are expected to see an increase in production compared to the previous harvest.
