Agriculture is going through a delicate moment after years of strong expansion, with increased debt, reduced margins and climate impacts on production. In this scenario, two fronts of action are urgent: debt renegotiation and advancement of rural insurance. The assessment was made by Arnaldo Jardim, president of the Special Commission for Energy Transition and Green Hydrogen Production during his participation in CNN Talks Agro, held this Monday (27) during Agrishow, which debated the topic “Strategic Financing: Credit, Climate and Geopolitics”.
For him, the National Congress has concentrated efforts on measures to reduce insecurity in agribusiness financing, with priority given to strengthening rural insurance, such as LCA, LCI and CRI and expanding permanent sources of credit for the sector. The topic, according to him, gained prominence during a debate at Tecnoshow Comigo, in Goiás, bringing together representatives from the Parliamentary Agricultural Front (FPA), Banco do Brasil and the Ministry of Agrarian Development.
“The sector has had important growth, but now faces high interest rates, lower margins and climate difficulties. We need to allow producers, individuals and companies, to renegotiate their liabilities and continue producing”, he stated.
JArdim also highlighted the current low insurance coverage in the field. Of a planted area of close to 90 million hectares, only around 7.5 million have insurance coverage. “Brazil cannot continue to live with such a reduced level of protection,” he said.
In rural credit, Felipe Duch, Private Superintendent of Banco do Brasil, reinforced that the , especially for subsidized lines such as Pronaf and Moderfrota, but highlighted the growth of the capital market as a complementary source of resources for the producer. According to him, the bank accounts for more than half of agricultural credit in the country.
The institution also invests in lines linked to sustainability. Among the instruments mentioned are CPR Verde, programs for the recovery of degraded areas and the recent issuance of an international title aimed at environmental preservation and recovery of river basins.
Family farming
For family farming, Vivian Libório de Almeidadirector of Innovation for Family Production and Agroecological Transition at the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture, highlighted specific lines within Pronaf with a focus on sustainable practices. Among them are Pronaf Agroecologia, with interest starting at 2% per year, in addition to modalities focused on bioeconomy, women, young people and soil recovery.
In the experts’ assessment, the future of rural credit involves a model less dependent on the annual Harvest Plan, with more predictability, private financing instruments and protection for producers in the face of climate and market risks.
The was identified as strategic to strengthen Brazil’s energy sovereignty, attract investments and expand the country’s presence in the global transition to renewable sources. During the debate, deputy Arnaldo Jardim highlighted that the United States and the European Union are also moving towards increasing the mixture of ethanol in fuels, reinforcing an international trend already consolidated in Brazil.
According to him, the government should analyze in May the proposal to increase the mixture of ethanol in gasoline from 30% to 32%, in addition to the expectation of increasing biodiesel in diesel from 15% to 17%. For the parliamentarian, the country demonstrates that it is possible to expand biofuels without compromising food security, thanks to the use of byproducts that also supply animal protein chains.
In this context, Vivian Libório highlighted that family farming plays a growing role in this market. Currently, more than 60 thousand families participate in the Social Biofuel Seal, generating around R$6 billion per year. The program expands access to credit, technical assistance and markets for small producers.
She also highlighted new opportunities in advanced fuels, such as SAF (sustainable aviation fuel), with experiments using waste such as açaí seeds. The assessment is that the inclusion of family farming in the energy transition will be fundamental to combining sustainability, income generation and energy security in the country.
