In rice cultivation alone, the movement has lost an area of 2,358 hectares, of the total 2,800 hectares in the State
The heavy rains that have hit Rio Grande do Sul since the end of April have caused damage to 6 MST (Landless Rural Workers Movement) settlements. According to the movement, 290 families had to leave the land they were on, of which 38 managed to return to their own plots. The others are in shelters or temporarily relocated to other settlements.
In total, 420 settled families were affected by some disturbance related to flooding, flooding of houses, loss of food production, damage to structures, tools, machinery, in addition to the lives of animals. Preliminary survey released this Friday (May 17, 2024) by the MST also indicated losses of R$90 millionconsidering production in vegetable gardens, dairy farming and rice.
The affected settlements are located in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and the central region of the state: Integração Gaúcha (IRGA) and Colônia Nonoaiense (IPZ), in Eldorado do Sul; Santa Rita de Cássia e Sino, in Nova Santa Rita; September 19th, in Guaíba and Tempo Novo, in Taquari.
RICE
MST rice farming occupies a total area of 2,800 hectares in the State, the majority of which is located in flooded areas.
Of the agroecological rice that had been planted this year, 755 hectares were lost. Rice production in agroecological transition lost 838 hectares, and conventional rice production recorded a loss of 765 hectares.
In total, the 3 rice production categories suffered a loss corresponding to an area of 2,358 hectares, in the areas of 6 agrarian reform settlements affected by the rains in the region.
Investment in production, contracts, inputs and losses in marketing total more than R$52 million for rice alone, according to the MST.
VEGETABLES AND LIVESTOCK
The preliminary survey of the movement also showed that, in the Metropolitan Region of Rio Grande do Sul alone, 200 families involved in the production of vegetables and fruits were affected, which represents around 300 hectares planted.
“Of these families, 170 lost all their production of vegetables, roots and fruits from an area of 250 hectares. This represents an estimated amount of R$35 million, considering the 12 main products of this local production”, said the MST.
The estimate is that, in vegetable garden production, hardwoods will only produce again 45 to 60 days after production resumes. The remaining crops (beets, carrots, cassava, sweet potatoes, strawberries, pumpkins) only in spring, with harvest scheduled for 2025.
According to the MST, affected families were part of the PAA (Food Acquisition Program) in the Simultaneous Donation modality, with contracts worth around R$2 million, which will need to be extended to next year due to production losses.
In dairy farming, the survey carried out by Cootap member families estimated losses of almost R$3 million, considering the losses between warehouses, planted pastures, animals, machinery and undelivered milk.
In Eldorado do Sul alone, the loss reached R$1.29 million. Animal deaths reached 95 head of cattle, with 55 deaths in the municipality.
With information from Brazil Agency.
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