In an interview with CNN the former Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Blairo Maggi, stated that fire is a “mortal enemy” of farmers, contesting the perception that agribusiness is primarily responsible for the fires affecting the country.
Maggi argued that the agricultural sector is as much a victim as the rest of society when it comes to the negative impacts of fires.
“The complaints that Brazilian society has about air quality, the loss of biodiversity and fauna, are the same complaints that we farmers make,” he declared.
Devastating impacts on rural properties
The former minister emphasized the incalculable losses that fires bring to agriculture.
According to him, the fire destroys years of investment in soil quality: “When a fire like this comes in, it simply destroys everything.”
Maggi explained that Brazilian soils are not naturally rich, but rather built up over decades with the use of fertilizers and management techniques.
A fire, therefore, can leave “any property in ruins”.
Fighting fires: a complex challenge
The former minister acknowledged the difficulty of fighting fires, especially after long periods of drought.
“Fighting the fires that have been occurring after such a dry period is practically impossible,” he said.
Despite admitting that there are still isolated practices of using fire in agriculture, Maggi insisted that this does not represent the reality of the sector as a whole.
“Fire is not a farmer’s friend, it is an enemy,” he concluded, reinforcing agribusiness’ commitment to environmental preservation and sustainable development.
This content was originally published in Fire is the mortal enemy of farmers, says former Minister of Agriculture to CNN on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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