Government and farmers guarantee food production during pandemic

Agricultural production in Brazil will continue normally amid measures to combat coronavirus, sector entities and the Minister of Agriculture, Tereza Cristina, said this Wednesday (18).

According to the Brazilian Agriculture and Livestock Confederation (CNA), the measures applied by governments to combat the disease - such as social isolation - cannot be absolute, and the food production and marketing chain must remain unchanged, as well as services health sector, as demand will not be reduced by the crisis.

"Otherwise, if there is a lack of food or if there are irregularities in the supply, people's health will be affected and social harmony, which we need so much at this time, will be affected," said the CNA in a statement.

In the same tone, the Brazilian Association of Soy Producers (Aprosoja) also guaranteed that activities in the field will continue normally, adding that it sees strong demand for food.

"Other sectors of the economy are already being affected by the epidemic. But we, in the countryside, are not. Brazilians can rest assured that we will do our part to keep the economy strong", said the president of Aprosoja, Bartolomeu Braz Pereira, in a statement.

At an event this Wednesday, the Minister of Agriculture, Tereza Cristina, approved the entities' position, stating that the population must remain calm in relation to food supply.

"Brazil is a great breadbasket, a food producer, and we don't need to have any negative expectations that we won't have food for our people," said Tereza, according to a statement released by the ministry.

Have already been confirmed 291 cases of coronavirus in Brazil, according to the most recent report from the Ministry of Health. The federal government requested last night (17) that Congress recognize the state of public calamity.