Dairy Industries in Rio Grande do Sul Seek Pact Before Election
The Association of Dairy Industries of Rio Grande do Sul, known as Apil, has organised its demands around four areas and asked election candidates to make a public commitment to the programme. The agenda began circulating during Expointer, and the association said it would continue presenting the proposals in the following weeks.
For farmers, Apil is seeking the preservation and expansion of the Bônus Mais Leite scheme, as well as free and ongoing technical assistance. Its proposals also include rural succession policies, special credit for young people entering dairy farming, and income insurance for periods of crisis. The association wants price references to reflect regional production costs rather than a national average that it says does not represent conditions in Rio Grande do Sul.
For processors, the association has proposed a credit line for equipment, automation, energy efficiency, effluent treatment and compliance with sanitary requirements. It also supports a bonus for industrial modernisation and assistance with origin and quality certification for regional cheeses and other dairy products. The programme calls for measures to encourage innovation, exports and the participation of local industries in international trade fairs and markets.
A separate part of the plan addresses producers and processors together. Apil is proposing a debt-renegotiation programme based on securitisation and refinancing, with a minimum grace period of two years and repayment periods of up to ten years. The terms would be adjusted to the recovery capacity of each activity. The association also wants special facilities for restructuring liabilities and financing working capital, backed by a guarantee fund, subsidised interest rates and bonuses for borrowers who remain current.
The fourth area concerns imported products. Apil is calling for import conditions to be reviewed when there is evidence of trade-distorting subsidies or dumping. It also supports safeguards and other trade-defence measures when technically justified. In addition, the association wants imported goods to meet equivalent sanitary, regulatory, tax and environmental requirements, so that foreign competitors face the same obligations as producers and processors in Rio Grande do Sul.
Apil said the measures could help reorganise debt, preserve access to credit, limit the departure of farmers from the sector and improve relations between different parts of the dairy chain. The document asks candidates to include the proposals in their governing plans and to maintain a permanent channel of dialogue with farmers, industries and representative organisations in the dairy sector.
