Rural leadership questions measures approved to reduce food prices

Agribusiness leaders called the federal government’s measures to reduce food prices “ineffective.” The plan includes exempting import tariffs on beef, coffee, sugar, corn, vegetable oils, sardines, and pasta. The second vice president of the Brazilian Agriculture and Livestock Confederation (CNA) and president of Farsul, Gedeão Silveira Pereira, considers the initiative “pointless.” According to him, Brazil is already one of the largest producers and exporters of these items, implying competitive domestic prices. Moreover, he stated that the current inflation is not caused by food supply but by increased demand and a lack of fiscal control.

Pereira emphasized that if meat imports were to happen, they would originate from Mercosur countries where the tariff is already zero, making the new measure irrelevant. He also criticized the government for boosting consumption by offering more credit, which, in his view, could worsen household debt.

The Parliamentary Front for Agriculture (FPA) reiterated that the inflation issue stems from fiscal imbalance and advocated for structural measures to reduce production costs. The caucus demands government responses to previously submitted proposals and underscores the importance of defining the 2025/26 Crop Plan, ensuring appropriate resources and interest rates for producers, Pecuaria reported.