There is no news of food shortage in Brazil, says Bolsonaro

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) said on Wednesday (13) that food inflation will be a problem that will have to be faced “for a long time” but extolled the fact that there is no food shortage in Brazil.

Bolsonaro spoke at an event at the Planalto Palace when a program to encourage private investment in recycling products and packaging was announced.

The Chief of the Executive emphasized that Brazil will be important for the world’s food security, mainly because of the war between Russia and Ukraine. But on the other hand, he said that the conflict would significantly affect food prices, which is why the population must prepare to face this problem for a certain period.

“Today, approximately 40% of the wheat consumed in Brazil comes from abroad. We follow the problems from 10,000 kilometers away. Ukraine is a large exporter of wheat, which will have a knock-on effect on inflation worldwide. From what has been demonstrated, inflation in the food issue will have to be lived with for a long time,” said the President of the Republic.

Bolsonaro also justified the situation, arguing that in addition to the new coronavirus pandemic and the war, Brazil had the worst drought in 91 years, and there was frost, damaging production.

He argues that Brazil “emerged as one of the countries that suffered the least.” He also said that there is no food shortage in Brazil.

The Chief of Executive, at this point, compared the Brazilian inflation to that of the United States and said that the inflation recorded here is lower. However, the accumulated American inflation of the last 12 months closed at 8.5%, and Brazil’s was 11.3%.

“Brazil is a country whose economy has emerged as one of the countries that have suffered the least globally. Here there is no news of food shortages. Other countries, besides having much higher inflation than the one that occurred in Brazil, the United States, for example, 8.5%, already have a shortage of some products,” he said.

Despite Bolsonaro exalting that there is no shortage of food, the last months have been marked by a drop in the purchasing power of Brazilians due to skyrocketing inflation, which resulted in increased hunger in Brazil.

A Datafolha survey released in December indicated that 26% of Brazilians say that the amount of food at home was not enough to feed their families in the last months.

The percentage reaches 37% among those with a monthly income of up to two minimum wages.

The survey also showed that 15% of Brazilians didn’t have a meal in the last months because they didn’t have food at home.

Bolsonaro also minimized the rise in fuel prices, stating that the increases were lower than in other countries.

“And the issue of energy too: oil, gasoline. One of the countries that increased prices the least was Brazil. Did it increase a lot? And we recognize that it did, but it was one of those that increased the least,” he affirmed.

Also present at the event, Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said that Brazil was harshly criticized in the past for its environmental problems, but that now, because of the war in Ukraine, it is becoming a relevant player to ensure food and energy security in the world.

With information from Folha de S.Paulo