Brazil plans to increase its farm output by 40% in the next 10 years, according to a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Agriculture Perspectives 2010-2019.
The report goes on to say that the increase in Russia, Ukraine, China and India during the same period will be around 20%.
The tendency, says the document, is for the percentage of world food production in Brazil, presently 26% of the total, to rise to 35% in 2019.
The report highlights ethanol and oleaginous grain production, saying that the former will rise around 7.5% per year, and that by 2018 Brazil is expected to pass the United States and become the world’s biggest exporter of oleaginous grains.
Speaking at the rollout of the government’s 2010-2011 Farm Bill, president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that the Brazilian farmer has to become a skilled professional in order to confront competition and political disputes with China and the United States.
“Even New Zealand does not like us exporting so much meat so they have joined the United States in trying to find defects in our products. And then they make complaints at the World Trade Organization,” said Lula.
The president went on to say that it was unacceptable that the country had to import most of the fertilizer it used. “This is a case of wanting to be a world leader, but not owning your own nose,” declared Lula as he went to promise that in five years Brazil would be a leading producer of fertilizers.
As for his 2010-2011 Farm Bill, Lula pointed out that it was four times the size of his first Farm Bill in 2003. “It is necessary to recognize the important advances that have occurred over the last seven years. In general, things are much, much better…”
Roads Money
The state of Rio de Janeiro will spend 25 million reais (US$ 14 million) repairing some 17,000 kilometers of rural roads where farm produce is moved to market. It is possible that at some time in the future the state will sign a loan agreement with the World Bank to expand the program and purchase new equipment.
Area farmers (in the region of Sumidouro that means 85% of the population) say they have many problems getting their goods to market because the roads are bad and the freight charges very high (because the roads are bad). With better roads, freight will be cheaper and the farmer will make more for his goods.
ABr
