08/24/2024 – 22:17
The Agriculture and Supply Secretariat of the São Paulo government is expected to announce this Sunday, the 25th, a series of measures to help producers affected by the forest fires that are spreading throughout the state. As of Saturday afternoon, 41 cities were on maximum fire danger alert over the weekend.
Due to the situation, Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) declared a state of emergency for 180 days in the areas of the municipalities most affected by the fires. The fires are a result of the dry weather, low humidity and heat waves that have hit the country in the last week. In August alone, more than 3,100 fires were detected, a record for the period.
According to the state administration, the aid will be provided on four fronts. Producers will have access to R$50,000 from the São Paulo Agribusiness Expansion Fund (Feap), with zero interest, to cover emergency measures, such as maintenance and production recovery expenses.
Another aid measure is the issuance of an emergency order that prevents regulatory bodies from fining producers. The government defines the measure as a “guarantee of legal certainty.”
“Having the document will prevent undue penalties for producers whose properties have been affected,” said the Tarcísio de Freitas administration, without saying how long the document will be valid. To obtain the document, producers must go to the Agriculture Office in the municipality where they live.
The government also intends to include the affected homes and rural properties in São Paulo’s housing programs, with the aim of restoring these homes. The action is a partnership between the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply and the Housing and Urban Development Company of the State of São Paulo (CDHU).
In addition, the state administration also promises a partnership with private animal nutrition and agricultural input companies so that affected producers receive discounts on products and items needed to rebuild their crops.
Fire affects the State
Forest fires have been ravaging the interior of São Paulo for days. The situation worsened last Friday, the 23rd, when the state recorded 1,886 fire outbreaks – more than the 1,666 recorded throughout the entire last year. Two employees at a plant in Urupês, in the metropolitan region of São José do Rio Preto, died while fighting the flames.
In total, 25 cities in the interior of the state have active fire outbreaks, and 41 are on maximum fire alert, according to the latest report from the São Paulo government, released at 6 pm. The list of municipalities is based on monitoring by the Civil Defense Emergency Management Center (CGE).
Fighting the flames has involved the Military Police, Fire Department and Brazilian Air Force, which receive support from teams from the Forestry Foundation, the sugarcane sector and construction companies hired by the Department of Highways (DER) – more than 7,300 people, including professionals and volunteers, are mobilized, according to the government.
Affected cities
25 municipalities with active fire outbreaks
– Monte Alegre do Sul
– Aluminum
– Pontal
– Little backlands
– Saint Anthony of Joy
– New Granada
– Yacanga
– Pompeii
– Good Hope of the South
– Brine
– Lucélia
– Poloni
– Golden
– Itapolis
– President Epitacio
– Drinking fountain
– Ibitinga
– Tabatinga
– Brodowski
– Louis Antonio
– Boulder
– Tambau
– Urupês
– Turiuba
– Arealva
41 cities on high alert for fires
– Saint Anthony of Aracanguá
– Piracicaba
– Blue Mountain Paulista
– Little Tower
– Taquarituba
– Colonel Macedo
– Ubarana
– Pitangueiras
– Sabino
– Jau
– Pirapora of Bom Jesus
– Itirapina
– Bernardino de Campos
– Saint Simon
– Banana plantation
– St. Louis of Paraitinga
– Monte Alegre do Sul
– Aluminum
– Pontal
– Little backlands
– Saint Anthony of Joy
– New Granada
– Yacanga
– Pompeii
– Good Hope of the South
– Brine
– Lucélia
– Poloni
– Golden
– Itapolis
– President Epitacio
– Drinking fountain
– Ibitinga
– Tabatinga
– Brodowski
– Louis Antonio
– Boulder
– Tambau
– Urupês
– Turiuba
– Arealva
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