EN 
PT_BR 
The Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of Mato Grosso (Famato) believes that the 2026/2027 Harvest Plan brought important advances, especially in reducing interest rates and strengthening investment lines. Even so, according to the organization, the measures remain insufficient to address structural bottlenecks in rural credit, particularly in states with large-scale production, such as Mato Grosso.
The announced plan for agribusiness forecasts R$ 525.1 billion, a growth of 1.7% compared to the previous cycle. According to Famato, the adjustment does not compensate for inflation during the period and remains below the demand presented by the productive sector.
“There has been progress in terms of the volume made available, but it is still insufficient given the need for the development of agricultural production, not only in Mato Grosso, but in Brazil as a whole. Compared to the previous year, we haven't even had an adjustment for inflation on the total amount made available,” assessed the superintendent of Famato, Cleiton Gauer.
Before the launch of the Harvest Plan, Famato submitted a technical proposal to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, based on studies by the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea). The document advocated, among other points, updating the eligibility criteria for Pronaf and Pronamp, expanding credit limits, strengthening rural insurance, reducing bureaucracy for accessing financing, expanding lines of credit for irrigation, storage, and RenovAgro, as well as specific measures for regions with distinct productive characteristics, such as the Pantanal and the Araguaia Valley.
The reduction in interest rates for crop financing, from 14% to 12.5% per year, was considered positive by the organization, but still far from the reality faced by producers. According to Famato, the measure may alleviate some of the planning for the next harvest, but it does not resolve the scenario of tight margins, increased production costs, renegotiated commitments, and accumulated debt from recent seasons.
“This reduction is important and will help with planning, but it is still far from meeting the needs of producers. The sector has been experiencing challenging harvests, with increased indebtedness and debt renegotiation. These commitments remain outstanding and put pressure on the next harvest,” he highlighted.
One of Famato's main concerns is effective access to official credit. In the last soybean harvest in Mato Grosso, just over 4% producers managed to access resources from the Plano Safra (Agricultural Plan) for operating costs. According to the organization, this low reach stems from the outdated eligibility criteria for small and medium-sized producers, which have failed to keep pace with the evolution of costs, prices, and production scale, in addition to the bureaucracy of official credit lines, which often leads producers to seek alternatives in the private market.
“Over the past few years, many producers have been disqualified from the small and medium-sized producer categories. This is an issue that Famato has been addressing with the Ministry of Agriculture, because the updating of these categories hasn't happened for quite some time. As a result, producers who previously had access to specific lines of credit are now practically classified as large producers,” explained Cleiton.
Famato also points out that agricultural policy has left significant gaps regarding risk management. The Rural Insurance Premium Subsidy Program (PSR), considered strategic in the face of increasing climate events, did not receive the reinforcement expected by the entity. The federation advocated for the allocation of R$3 billion to the program, considered essential to protect the production and income of producers.
“Agricultural insurance is an extremely necessary structure. In other countries, this instrument is encouraged as a way to guarantee not only production, but also the producer's income during times of climatic difficulties. In Brazil, it has been neglected for years within the rural credit policy,” stated the superintendent.
Another sensitive point is the linking of financial incentives foreseen in the Plano Safra (Agricultural Plan) to the validation of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR). For Famato (the Mato Grosso Federation of Agriculture and Livestock), producers who fulfill their obligations cannot be penalized for delays by public authorities in analyzing and validating the registrations.
“The CAR (Rural Environmental Registry) is a very sensitive issue in Mato Grosso. Linking incentives or benefits to a validated CAR puts producers who are doing everything right at a disadvantage, as they depend on the State's ability to advance the analysis. There is a queue of registrations to be evaluated and validated, and this cannot lead to a loss of competitiveness for those who are in compliance,” Gauer emphasized.
Famato also notes that the Plano Safra (Agricultural Plan) did not incorporate proposals previously submitted by the organization to the Ministry of Agriculture, including safeguards against automatic blocks based on the Project for Monitoring Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon Forest by Satellite (Prodes), a regionalized review of the Minimum Price Guarantee Policy (PGPM), and the creation of a specific line of credit for livestock farming in wetlands, such as the Pantanal and the Araguaia Valley.
Regarding investments, Famato acknowledges the importance of the announced increase, but notes that the rates remain above the level advocated by the organization for strategic programs such as irrigation, storage, and RenovAgro. In the federation's assessment, these instruments are fundamental to increasing production resilience, reducing climate risks, and strengthening infrastructure on farms.
Addressing rural debt also remains one of the sector's main challenges. Although discussions are underway in the National Congress regarding debt renegotiation proposals, Famato believes that the issue should have been more effectively incorporated into the Plano Safra (Agricultural Plan), as it is the main public credit policy for Brazilian agriculture.
“Given the increase in debt, costs, and operational difficulties accumulated in recent harvests, there was an expectation that the Harvest Plan would bring more concrete relief. Addressing rural debt is fundamental to guaranteeing the continuity of production and the development of Brazilian agricultural supply chains. In this respect, the plan also leaves an important gap,” stated Cleiton Gauer.
Famato will continue working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the National Congress, and other sector entities to advocate for updating the criteria for classifying producers, expanding rural insurance, reducing bureaucracy in accessing credit, strengthening investment lines, and building a structured solution for rural debt.
“We recognize the progress announced by the government, especially in reducing interest rates, but the Harvest Plan still needs to evolve to keep pace with the reality of Brazilian agriculture. Mato Grosso produces on a large scale and needs a more accessible, less bureaucratic credit policy capable of effectively serving those in the field. Famato will continue to contribute technically to the improvement of this policy, always in defense of rural producers and the development of Brazilian agriculture,” concludes Famato's president, Vilmondes Tomain.
