Rio Grande do Sul farmers press Brazil to enact debt relief bill amid drought and floods

Around 300 rural leaders, including producers, mayors and local officials from Rio Grande do Sul, gathered in Brasília to demand that the federal government implement a solution for indebted farmers hit by successive droughts and recent floods. The demonstrators urged the enactment of Project Law 5122, which has been approved by the Senate and is now being reviewed by the Chamber of Deputies under rapporteur Afonso Hamm (Progressistas‑RS). Protesters highlighted that the legislation, crafted with input from agricultural associations, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank, aims to provide a new credit framework for thousands of farmers.

The movement seeks a government decision at an upcoming meeting with the Ministry of Finance, scheduled for Tuesday, after claiming that legislative consensus has been reached while the executive branch remains reluctant to act.