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Caixa launches credit lines for artisanal fishermen, with lower interest rates

Caixa Econômica Federal announced this Wednesday (12) the launch of credit lines for artisanal fishermen who are part of the National Program for Strengthening Family Agriculture (Pronaf).

The lines of credit are available in the costing modality, to finance expenses related to the capture of fish and the conservation of vessels and equipment, and also in the investment modality, intended for the acquisition and renovation of machinery and equipment and the construction or expansion of improvements.

According to the bank, the interest charged on loans will start at 3% per year. The Selic, the economy’s basic rate, is currently at 9.25% per year.

In the costing modality, Pronaf fishermen will be able to contract up to R$ 250 thousand, with a reimbursement period of up to 12 months. For investment, producers will be able to finance up to R$200,000, with a repayment period of up to 120 months. Caixa, however, did not inform the total volume released in the new lines.

At a launch event at Palácio do Planalto, Caixa’s president, Pedro Guimarães, said that the bank “went ahead” with these lines of credit and will “make history”, because, in his view, the fishing sector is promising. .

“Agriculture is the engine of Brazil’s economy, but I’m going to say something that I have no doubt about. I studied economics for fifteen years and I say: more than agriculture, if there is a segment of Brazil that will make a difference in the next 100 years, it is aquaculture and fish farming”, stated Guimarães. “What we are doing here is, in my opinion, a revolution,” he said.

President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) was also present at the event. “If I had known about the full potential of fisheries in Brazil, I would have kept the fisheries ministry,” he said.

The credit may be requested by fishermen, individuals or legal entities holding a Declaration of Aptitude (DAP) from the National Program for Strengthening Family Agriculture (Pronaf) or registered in the National Registry of Family Agriculture (CAF).

“The lines will contribute to the development of the economy in regions close to the coast, rivers and lakes. In addition, they will also support the professionalization of these workers, who are mostly family producers, with production destined for the local market and for their own consumption.

The bank also informed that it has other solutions for financing fishing activities. For commercialization, there is the Producer Price Guarantee (FGPP), intended for fish processing companies, in which it is possible to finance the purchase of the product directly from the fisherman. Credit is granted to cooperatives that process fish to cover expenses related to the industrialization process of production, according to Caixa.

There are also credit lines for funding, marketing, investment and industrialization of fish and crustaceans cultivated in Union waters, launched in November 2021.

This Wednesday, the government also announced other measures to support the sector. In one of them, the Ministry of Economy will hand over to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) two areas of the Union located in the coastal sea of ​​Bahia, in the region of Ilhéus, for the development of aquaculture, with the implementation of environmentally sustainable marine farms. through the implementation of submerged tanks in the sea.

According to the Ministry of Economy, the project is in partnership with Forever Oceans Brasil Eirelli and the partnership seeks to implement environmentally sustainable, economically scalable marine farms with technology to produce high-value fish. “The pioneering project that will be implemented at the site foresees the production of eight thousand tons per year and the generation of 91 direct jobs in each area”, informs the ministry in a note.

The Ministry of Agriculture, in turn, also opened a public notice for the concession of seven Public Fishing Terminals (TPPs) located in the cities of Aracaju (SE), Manaus (AM), Belém (PA), Natal (RN), Vitória ( ES), Santos (SP) and Cananéia (SP).

According to Mapa, each terminal will be offered individually, with the exception of the Santos and Cananéia (SP) TPPs, which will be granted jointly (in block). The auction of the 7 TPPs will take place at B3 and will be based on the highest grant value. For the seven terminals, over the 20 years of the concession, minimum investments (capex) of R$71.1 million were estimated, in addition to R$628.5 million in operations (opex).

“The studies for the concession indicate that more than 59,000 artisanal fishermen can benefit, with production that can reach more than 54,000 tons of fish per year, which can reduce fish waste by more than 87,500 tons over the course of the year. term, as a consequence of the better handling and processing conditions of the production”, informs the note from Mapa

An additional R$ 472 million is estimated, with the addition of value due to the increase in sanitary quality, and R$ 192 million in productivity gains in industrial fishing. In all, the socio-economic benefits of the project amount to R$ 986 million.

*With additional information from CNN Brasil Business

Reference: CNN Brasil

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