Transition group in agro includes a name close to the MST who already defended Salles

The members of the agricultural sector in the transition team of the elected president of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), announced this Wednesday (16), range from people with transit with the MST (Movement of Landless Rural Workers) and in favor of of agrarian reform to those who have already defended the management of Ricardo Salles, former Minister of the Environment of Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

The list, released by vice president-elect Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), includes Neri Geller (PP-MT), federal deputy and former minister of Dilma Rousseff (PT), and senator Carlos Fávaro (PSD-MT). They were responsible, during the presidential campaign, for dialogue with entrepreneurs in the agribusiness sector.

The two have the task of reducing resistance to Lula in the FPA (Frente Parlamentar da Agropecuária), which brings together nearly 300 deputies and senators. The ruralist caucus is one of the most influential in Congress and is part of Bolsonaro’s support base, defeated in the race for re-election. 🇧🇷

Another name on the list is Senator Katia Abreu (PP-TO), a businesswoman and rancher who was Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply during Dilma’s second term.

Also former Minister of Agriculture Luiz Carlos Guedes (Lula government) was announced in the team. He has a doctorate in agronomic engineering, was president of the Brazilian Association for Agrarian Reform (Abra) and has dialogue with the MST.

In addition to defending agrarian reform, the former minister has also positioned himself against the high volume of credits subsidized by the government to agricultural producers.

Alckmin also announced the name of Evandro Gussi. A former federal deputy for São Paulo, he is president and CEO of Unica (Union of the Sugarcane and Bioenergy Industry), which represents the ethanol sector.

In the Bolsonaro government, Gussi adopted a posture of proximity to Salles. The two defended RenovaBio, a program to increase the share of biofuels in the energy matrix. The former deputy was the author of the project that created the plan.

In 2019, Unica took a position, in a note, on Bolsonaro’s actions in the Amazon. In the text, Gussi said he recognized the government’s commitment to curbing criminal acts and defended Salles’ actions.

To compose the transition team, Joe Valle, Silvio Crestana and Tatiana Deane de Abreu Sá were also chosen.

Valle was a candidate for the Senate for the Federal District, is a former deputy, forestry engineer and businessman.

He is affiliated with the PDT and even campaigned for Ciro Gomes, defeated in the presidential race. Valle, during the dispute, defended the increase of resources for Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation).

Crestana was CEO of Embrapa, between 2005 and 2009, during Lula’s government. In recent interviews, he defended that the country invest in technology to reduce dependence on fertilizers from abroad, in addition to more resources for research and development of technologies aimed at family farming and sustainability.

Tatiana Deane de Abreu Sá holds a PhD in plant biology and was executive director of Embrapa from 2005 to 2011.

The transition of government is regulated by a law passed in 2002 and by a decree issued in 2010. It begins with the proclamation of the election result and ends with the inauguration of the new president.

The transition cabinet for the president-elect was established on 8 November. Former Minister Aloizio Mercadante coordinates the 31 technical groups responsible for preparing programs.