Temer launches Family Harvest Plan with R$ 30 billion credit line

On Wednesday (31), President Michel Temer officially launched the 2017/2020 Family Farming Harvest Plan, which will offer a R$ 30 billion credit line for small farmers at lower interest rates. The funding is considered essential for family farming in the country.

Speaking during the launch ceremony at the Presidential Palace, the president emphasised the significance of farming for families and its economic effects in the country. “When we encourage family farming, we fight poverty and stimulate employment and development in our poorest regions," he said.

The credit will be offered through the National Programme for Strengthening Family Farming (Pronaf), with rates varying from 2.5% to 5.5% a year. Staples such as rice, beans, manioc, milk and others, as well as investments in renewable energy, irrigation and storage, will be eligible for credit lines with interest rates as low as 2.15% p.a.

As he described the conditions offered in the package, Temer recalled that many of the food items found on the tables of Brazilian families come from the hands of family farmers. “The policies demonstrate how strong the government's commitment to family farming is," he said.

Fiscal responsibility

Temer also rebutted arguments that the federal government was going to make life financially harder for families. According to the president, falling inflation and the recent cuts in the basic interest rate both show that "none of this happened", and that the size of the programme's credit line is proof that the government has managed to combine fiscal and social responsibility.

“The fact is that we have overcome the most serious economic crisis in our history without touching the volume of credit or the interest rates offered under the Pronaf," said the president. He added that no one will prevent the government from continuing in that direction.

Land title regularisation

The Family Farming Harvest Plan also has the goal of regularising land title for 10,936 properties in the Amazon this year, a crucial measure to ensure legal certainty to farmers. For the other regions, the expectation is that 53,905 land titles will be delivered, all through the Land Title Registration and Regularisation Programme.

Noting the importance of land regularisation for small farmers, Temer also mentioned Provisional Measure (MP) 759, currently under review in the Federal Senate. Issued by the federal government last year, the MP facilitates the regularisation of titles for both private and federal government-owned areas, including by reducing red tape in the process.

In this context, the president called for agility by Congress in approving the measure, emphasising the importance of land to family farmers. “A piece of land and a house are the first step to prosperity," he said.