Brazil lifts 26,5 million people out of hunger in two years, says Wellington Dias

247 - In interview with the program Good morning, MinisterIn a program produced by Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC) and broadcast on Canal Gov, the Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger, Wellington Dias, presented a summary of the federal government's social policies. According to him, in two years, Brazil managed to lift 26,5 million people out of hunger, a result that put the country back on the hunger map of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Dias emphasized that the government's goal is not only to guarantee food on the table for the vulnerable population, but also to create conditions so that this situation does not repeat itself. "Once you're in the Bolsa Família program, you never go back to hunger. If you lose your job, you automatically return to the program," the minister explained.

Social policies and economic impact

Wellington Dias highlighted that Brazil has reached the lowest poverty rate in recent history, reducing it from 9% in 2022 to 4% in 2025. He also stated that 14 million Brazilians have escaped poverty, some of them entering the middle class.

One of the pillars of this progress is the strengthening of the Bolsa Família program, which currently benefits families with a per capita income of less than R$ 218. According to the minister, 98% of new formal job openings in 2024 were filled by people registered in the Cadastro Único (Single Registry).

Furthermore, measures such as the Food Acquisition Program (PAA) — which buys directly from family farms and supplies daycare centers, schools, and social programs — help stimulate local production, reducing dependence on basic food baskets, which are only used in emergency situations such as droughts or floods.

People's Gas and reducing family expenses

Another highlight was the announcement of the "People's Gas" program, expected to benefit up to 17 million vulnerable families. Unlike the previous aid program, which provided cash, the new model guarantees the gas cylinder directly at more than 55 distribution points across the country.

“We are talking about nearly 50 million people impacted, with logistics ensured even in indigenous, riverside, and quilombola communities,” said Dias. The minister also highlighted that, added to other initiatives, such as the Social Energy Tariff and the Pé de Meia program for students, the benefit represents significant savings in the budget of the poorest families.

Combating fraud and ensuring transparency.

When questioned about irregularities in the payment of the Auxílio Brasil program during the previous government, the minister reported that more than 4,3 million undue benefits were canceled after cross-referencing data from the social database. Of this total, approximately 177 families with incomes above two minimum wages will have to return the amounts received.

"The current system is one of the most modern in the world, with real-time information cross-referencing, which guarantees efficiency and social justice," Dias stated.

Projections and commitments

In the international arena, the minister highlighted Brazil's participation in the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, launched by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The group's goal is to support national plans in developing countries and reach 500 million people by 2030 with food security, health, and education.

Looking to the future, Wellington Dias argued that education is the foundation for consolidating social progress: “The more successful we are in school, the less risk we have of regressing. It is through education, employment, and small businesses that we definitively overcome poverty.”

With the latest figures, Brazil positions itself as a world leader in the fight against hunger, combining social policies and economic incentives to reduce inequality. Watch: