After a long negotiation, the Chamber of Deputies approved this Tuesday (10) the Provisional Measure (MP) that renegotiates rural debts. The Government leader in the Chamber, Paulo Pimenta (PT-RS), accepted requests from the agribusiness sector and presented a middle-term text.
Members of the Agribusiness Parliamentary Front (FPA) remained critical of the approved text. Even so, the majority of its members approved the text, as the MP will cease to be valid on Wednesday (11) if it is not approved by the end of the deadline. Now, the measure is still being analyzed by the Senate plenary.
Among the changes made by the approved text is the extension of the deadline for contracting the credit line to pay debts. Previously limited to 120 days from the creation of the law, the period will now be extendable for another 120 days.
This was a request from the FPA, which indicated that, of the total R$100 billion earmarked for renegotiation, just over 20% – that is, R$20 billion – had been contracted since the MP came into force. The idea, according to deputies and senators, is to give more time and conditions for rural producers to join the debt renegotiation program.
"This Provisional Measure is not what we would like", said Senator Tereza Cristina (PP-MS) during the analysis of the report in the joint commission on the topic earlier this Tuesday. "Today we are approving a text that will resolve part of it, will assist part of those in debt."
Flexibility of reports
Another request from the agricultural front was the flexibility of reports to prove the loss of two or more crops or 30% of income due to weather events or changes in prices. Now, collective reports will be accepted for the renegotiation of debts of micro, mini, small and medium rural producers.
According to Pimenta, the changes made to the report do not result in increased costs for the public budget. The Government leader highlighted the dialogue with the Ministry of Finance to create the text and indicated that the idea is to maintain the cost of R$100 billion initially defined by the government.
"Obviously, it is not a text that pleases everyone, but, from my point of view, it is a text that has advanced a lot in the sense that we can achieve the main objective of the provisional measure, which is to carry out this renegotiation", said Pimenta.
Text was approved by a special committee this Tuesday and, on the same day, by the Chamber plenary. — Photo: Renato Araújo/Chamber of Deputies
On points that parliamentarians linked to agribusiness wanted changes, such as interest and debt limits according to the category of producers, Pimenta did not back down. The government leader also did not include a guarantee fund against possible future agricultural losses.
The FPA indicated that it will continue to try, through other projects, to change points that it considers important for Brazilian rural producers.
'Jabuti' for the tobacco industry
Among the changes included by Paulo Pimenta is an amendment to the law that creates Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) to allow the national production of inputs used for the production of electronic cigarettes and vapes, which are prohibited in Brazil.
As the MP initially only dealt with the debts of rural producers, the inclusion of the release of production of inputs for vapes can be seen as a "jabuti", that is, a topic that was not part of the initial text. Therefore, legal challenges to this section of the law are possible.
The change in the law allows the production of these inputs using tobacco only for export. Pimenta told g1 that the change does not open up space for the production and use of vapes in Brazil. According to him, the inclusion of the topic in the MP was a request from producers in the country and is only for the export of materials, with Anvisa maintaining the power to define commercialization in the national territory.
The rapporteur of the project in the special committee, the deputy and leader of the government in the Chamber Paulo Pimenta (PT-RS) — Photo: Renato Araújo/Câmara dos Deputados
Tension in agriculture
The approval by the joint commission in the early afternoon of this Wednesday (10) was accompanied by tension between members of the FPA. Representative Afonso Hamm (PP-RS) criticized the agreement with the government. For him, the agreed text had “very timid” progress and he declared a vote against – the only one on the committee.
"We did it, I made several amendments, and several did – and they were all rejected. There is some use, but it is very little", said the deputy. "It's impossible to vote in favor."
Pedro Lupion (Republicanos-PR), president of the FPA, criticized his colleague's speech: "If we all vote against it, the provisional measure won't pass. You'll be average and we'll look like idiots."
The FPA had already indicated that letting the MP expire and the renegotiation program lose its validity would be seen as the front's responsibility, since the government considers that it did its part by carrying out the debt renegotiation program.
