Future Minister of Agriculture criticizes Bolsonaro and says that China is a priority

Future Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Senator Carlos Fávaro (PSD-MT) says that the balance of the last four years for the agribusiness sector was negative, despite ruralists having supported the re-election of Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

“Incredible as it may seem, perhaps the [setor] do not see, but the balance is negative. Loss of credibility, very bad image in the international market. It left the feeling for the world of passing the herd. You can deforest, you can burn, you can destroy. An open wound was left in the environment, which is our greatest asset,” he said in an interview with Sheet.

Fávaro allied himself with president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) at the beginning of the campaign and was one of the PT’s main interlocutors in the sector. Despite having been presented as a share of Gilberto Kassab’s PSD, for the acronym to join the base of the future government, Lula had already decided on the senator’s choice more than two weeks ago.

According to the future minister, Lula will open up the market for agribusiness abroad and will be Brazil’s main ambassador.

“China is a priority, the world is a priority. Brazil’s greatest ambassador is President Lula. We are going to resell Brazil. A balanced, sustainable, productive Brazil. I am sure this will generate many opportunities for Brazilians.”

Mr. assumes a smaller ministry than the current one, under the Bolsonaro administration. Is there already a definition about what the structure of the folder should be? I would not like to say that the ministry has lost space because, in reality, many things have been added to it in this last term. We need to focus. I am in favor of well-focused and cross-cutting structures, talking to each other, such as with the Ministry of Fisheries.

Embrapa needs a very deep dedication. She was completely scrapped. Conab will momentarily go to the MDA [Ministério do Desenvolvimento Agrário]but we imagine something bigger for it, that it will serve family agriculture, corporate agriculture, in a strategic information agency, with monthly market reports, which guide all public policies.

With that, there would be a climate report with the meteorological stations, and we could work better on programs and public policies.

What is the purpose of this agency? The idea is that it is neither under the MDA nor the Map [Ministério da Agricultura]. The suggestion is to create an information agency, not a regulatory agency, and one that can serve across several ministries.

One example is that there is a corn crop forecast for the year, with corn for the domestic market and for export. However, this corn is often exported and the industry lacks product. Then there is a shortage and the government needs to bring corn from abroad. Planning is lacking. No need for intervention. Just knowing, through the trading companies, that the corn was exported, the government has the information and prepares itself. This was a convincing point with President Lula and Vice President [Geraldo] Alckmin.

What is the balance of the Bolsonaro government for the agricultural sector? Incredible as it may seem, maybe you don’t see it, but the balance is negative. Loss of credibility, very bad image in the international market. It left the feeling for the world of passing the herd. You can deforest, you can burn, you can destroy. An open wound was left in the environment, which is our greatest asset.

It is destroying the goose that lays the golden eggs, which is having rain in order to have production. The balance is very negative in this regard, but we are going to rebuild. I’m sure common sense will prevail again. The good men and women who produce food will recognize President Lula’s great work.

What did mr. would you do differently? I don’t like to look back, I want to look forward. Brazil has a great opportunity today to grow again, to produce more, in a sustainable, balanced way, respected by the world.

Note that, in this period, we closed Brazil’s trade relations with China itself, our main trading partner. We create enemies in the United States, we fight with almost all of Latin America. Brazil just lost. China is a priority, the world is a priority. Brazil’s greatest ambassador is President Lula. We are going to resell Brazil. A balanced, sustainable, productive Brazil. I’m sure this will generate many opportunities for Brazilians.

In the campaign, the PT even launched a document that foresaw the regulation of the agricultural sector and this generated noise with ruralists. Is there a chance of there being regulation of the sector? There was a lot of fake news in the campaign. The industry is already starting to see this. Now I already see a movement of conscience, of knowing that it is a new government and that we have to work for the good of agriculture, of farming.

I see the associations already looking for dialogue, to make things happen. They are forgetting the fake news. There was one that was land invasion. President Lula has said several times that invaded land is not subject to agrarian reform. There is a law that prohibits it. We are not against agrarian reform. I arrived in Mato Grosso in a municipality that was the result of agrarian reform.

Mr. Do you intend to participate in discussions on agrarian reform? Of course yes. Public land that was available or even private land that the owner wants to sell and the State is interested in agrarian reform, perfect. But productive land has no reform on it, no land invasion. President Lula used to say that, but nobody wanted to hear it. Like or dislike Lula and Fávaro, we are open to dialogue.

Anyone who wants to carry out modern, efficient agriculture, seeking carbon neutrality, respecting the laws, respecting the environment, not illegally deforesting, not causing illegal burning, will certainly have our full support. President Lula was the one who renegotiated debts, gave credit, created programs to encourage production, the purchase of equipment, created a forestry code, created logistics infrastructure.

Another candidate for the ministry was deputy Neri Geller (PP-MT). Will he be part of the folder? He will be part of the government. We don’t have anything set. He was a great leader and had importance in the campaign.

What is your position on credit for the sector and rural insurance? Credit, let’s say, interest equalized for funding, needs to be kept the size of it focused, mainly on small and medium producers. The big ones have access to international credit with very cheap interest rates. Rural insurance is a very efficient policy, so we have to, at the very least, maintain these resources.

Will there be any change in access to weapons for rural producers? I am going to bring a position taken by President Lula from the campaign, and I fully agree. We cannot let citizens become part of organized crime. He’s losing control because it’s so easy to buy. Then the person says it was stolen, but often sold.

Agro needs a little different thinking. You can’t let a man from the countryside be prohibited from having one, two, three firearms and some ammunition because, when a robber arrives there, a kidnapper, a delinquent, arrives, he being sure that that man from the countryside is unarmed , he will barbarize. There is no time for you to call 911 and the police to come. You have the right to have your gun and defend yourself until the police arrive.

At the level of urban arms sales, this needs to be reviewed. The country man will have the right. No to 2,000 ammunition, a war arsenal, machine gun. Not that. But enough. One, two or three weapons to be able to do the first fight with the bandit until the police arrive, this right will be preserved for the man in the field.

Mr. argues that the government should send a new text to the PL (bill) of Defensives, which became known as PL do Veneno? We are all on the same side [no governo Lula]. Now, for that, we are going to have legislation, and this is the point that perhaps has not been very well understood.

We cannot precarize analysis, science. No way. We cannot make Anvisa or Ibama precarious in regulating and authorizing new molecules, but bureaucracy cannot take over, and spend eight or ten years testing new molecules that the whole world already has. Because then we are going to use organophosphates because [o governo] did not release the new, more modern, more efficient ones. But they have to be heard and if they say ‘You can’t because it’s harmful to human health’, it’s over. No one will regulate, no one will authorize.

The PL that was approved in the committee may undergo changes in the Senate, but we gain time, understand? Look, if you need to make adjustments, improvements, and I believe you need to, let’s do this and vote in plenary. And then it goes to the Chamber. But let’s get things moving. We are all on the same side.

X-RAY

Carlos Favaro, 53

Rural producer and senator of the Republic for Mato Grosso, where he was vice-governor. He was vice-president of Aprosoja and president of the same association in the state. One of Lula’s main interlocutors with the sector during the campaign, he coordinated the area’s transition group.