Explaining Brazil #291: Lula’s farming feuds

Ribeirão Preto, a major city in the countryside of São Paulo, this week hosted Agrishow — the biggest agro fair in Brazil. Almost 200,000 people are expected to visit the stands of over 800 brands — from machine producers to startups to banks. 

The event’s opener featured Agriculture Minister Carlos Fávaro and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin.

It could seem like a no-brainer that the government would be present at the main event of the most buoyant sector of the economy. However, the minister was not invited to last year’s Agrishow opening.

The organizers feared that Mr. Fávaro’s presence would irritate the previous edition’s guest of honor: far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is generally very popular among farmers.

This time around, organizers decided to bring the government on Day 1, and Bolsonaro and his acolytes on Day 2 of the event. That move may have everything to do with the government’s strategy to get closer to farmers.

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This episode used music from Uppbeat and Envato. License codes: Country Acoustic by _Blacksmith_ (E4H7D3BRNL), Aspire by Pryces (B6TUQLVYOWVKY02S), Lo-Fi Loop by Sawtooz (HUK2FSPMJ4), Latin Festival by simonleng (NSJRKTQE59), and Vlog Lo-Fi by (5LKY6FU472) 

In this episode:

• Cedê Silva is The Brazilian Report’s correspondent in Brasília.

Background reading:

• How Brazilian agribusiness became a vector for putschism: Agribusiness has been a major engine of the Brazilian economy. But it has also fueled anti-democratic rhetoric in the country. Reporter Amanda Audi explained back in January 2023.

• Our Brazil Weekly newsletter talked about how Lula wants to use credit as a way to get closer to Brazil’s farmers.

• Brazil mimics the U.S.’s urban-left v. rural-right polarization: After importing American culture wars for years, Brazil’s electoral map increasingly looks like the U.S.’s, too.

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The post Explaining Brazil #291: Lula’s farming feuds appeared first on The Brazilian Report.