MAPA minister set to meet poultry farmers amid Brazilian trucker strike
Speaking at the Forum of Investments Brazil 2018 in São Paulo, Maggi will speak with Brazilian poultry farmers to find out about the size of losses and their credit needs, as well as advising them that resources could be redirected.
“Some areas have lost a lot of stock, and stock is the capital of the producer,” said Maggi. “We have a fairly large harvest plan and it is clear that the ministry has … an agricultural policy. It is important to shift some resources to the cooperatives, so that producers reorganise themselves, to the detriment of even a new investment project.”
The Brazilian truckers’ strike, sparked by rising fuel prices across the South American country, has caused major disruption for some of Brazil’s biggest meat producers, including BRF, which halted production at some of its sites.
The strike action has led Brazil’s state-run fuel company Petroleo Brasileiro to freeze prices for 15 days while negotiations between drivers and the government take place.
Maggi described the strike as an “episode off the curve” and said it would not hinder investments across the country.
“We live in a free, democratic country and we need to learn the lesson from everything that has happened and move on,” Maggi added.
“We participate in a food production market of more than 150 countries and people know the quality of the Brazilian product, they know about regularity of the supply. I think the most important thing is that, despite what happened, the country will be present in the market next year, ten years, 20 years from now, and this is what makes the country attractive for investment.”
