In a preliminary comment after approval, by the Senate, of the project that provides for the renegotiation of rural debts using resources from the Pre-Salt Social Fund, the Minister of Finance, Dario Durigan, said that the text has an estimated impact of R$140 billion for the National Treasury in the coming years.
“We don’t have the final text yet, I’m going to make a first comment here, basically with what we heard and with the information that is still precarious”, highlighted Durigan, as he began his speech to journalists at the ministry’s entrance.
“The estimate I have is that, as the text was being prepared in the Senate, if confirmed, this covers an investment of R$200 billion in operation, the cost of which for the Treasury was 70%, which gives a little R$140 billion for the National Treasury”, he said. He highlighted that this amount is not divided into a few years, and pointed out that this “seems to be a lot and, in fact, is inconsistent with the more focused proposal to serve the farmer who needed it, which we had made”.
According to him, the amount is not supported by public accounts and, therefore, part of the project may have to be reviewed in the Chamber of Deputies, and eventually result in a veto by the President of the Republic. “If necessary, we will question any action by Congress that does not comply with the Fiscal Responsibility Law of the Federal Supreme Court, all of which must be assessed rigorously, with serenity, with broad communication, broad dialogue with Congress,” he indicated.
Asked about the R$800 billion initially forecast for the next 10 years, he replied: “The text has been changed, a previous proposal, we actually had this forecast. As the text was changed, this forecast decreased, also due to our conversation.”
Durigan also said that he expressed his annoyance to the senators and maintained that they themselves recognized the effort made by the Treasury to find a consensual solution, to help those farmers who lost due to climate issues and who are in difficulties. “I also have a concern about agribusiness, it is a concern of President Lula, agribusiness is fundamental for the country. At no point did we pose any contradictions to the topic as a whole”, he stressed.
“Our objective, I reiterate, is to help those farmers who need it most, who can prove their losses, who have problems with debt, and not to create some kind of new line that serves those who do not need it”, he continued.
According to him, a fine-tooth comb will be carried out in the final text to check “what has overflowed, what the State can bear”.
