Upon assuming the Agriculture Ministry, Carlos Fávaro cites conciliation and sustainability.
Fávaro also said that one of his biggest missions is to "pacify agribusiness" with leaders who want what's best for agriculture.
Brazil Agency - The newly appointed Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro, took office today (2) with a speech of conciliation with agribusiness, but calling on the sector's leaders to engage in the fight against hunger and in protecting the environment.
“How many Brazilians were unable to have lunch today? That is the great challenge of this new government,” Fávaro stated at the beginning of the handover ceremony, even before greeting those present. He affirmed that this is a time for unity in pursuit of this objective, “regardless of what has happened.”
Fávaro also said that one of his biggest missions is to "pacify agribusiness" with leaders who want what's best for agriculture, rural producers, the population, and who want to fight hunger. According to the new minister, there are still Brazilians who struggle to have three meals a day.
Fávaro's speech is a nod to agribusiness leaders who opposed President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's candidacy to support his opponent, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who failed to be re-elected. The new minister is a soybean producer and was previously vice-president of the Brazilian Soybean Producers Association.
Still in a conciliatory tone, Fávaro praised the administrations of all his predecessors since 2002, including the ministers who held the position in the Bolsonaro government – Tereza Cristina and Marcos Montes – mentioning both by name.
However, he did not spare criticism of other areas of the previous administration, such as environmental preservation and the increase in deforestation observed in recent years.
“Brazil has become a global pariah with regard to deforestation, the environment, and the ability to produce sustainably. This is the biggest challenge: rebuilding bridges with the international community. Not because they want to, but because it is necessary,” said Fávaro.
The minister added that one of his measures in this regard will be to promote science and restore degraded pastures, which, according to data he cited, would amount to approximately 40 million hectares. This would make it possible to increase the cultivated area without increasing deforestation, he said.
“This will not be mere rhetoric or a simple speech. We will open the door to the sustainable growth of Brazilian production,” stated Fávaro before concluding his speech, which took place in the auditorium of Embrapa, a public agricultural research company that the new government promises to strengthen.
Several parliamentarians linked to rural production and other authorities were present at the ceremony, such as the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, and Minister Gilmar Mendes, of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), who is from Mato Grosso, the same state where Fávaro made his political career and for which he was elected senator, despite having been born in Paraná.
The previous Minister of Agriculture, Marcos Montes, did not attend the handover ceremony and was represented by the former executive secretary of the ministry, Márcio Eli Almeida.