Brasília, November 19, 2002 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - In his weekly radio program today, president Fernando Henrique Cardoso spoke about agriculture, one of the sectors most responsible for jobs in the country. "In 1995 I announced, here on the radio, that we were planting good seeds. We did. But we now are also gathering good fruits. Brazil is today one of the largest grain producers in the world. In 18 years our production has increased over 27%. The forecast for the 2002/2003 harvest is 104 million tons of grains," the president affirmed.

The president recalled that Brazilian meat is conquering the world. Brazil is currently the third largest producer of beef and sells beef, pork, and poultry to 90 countries in the European Union, Eastern Europe, North America, and Asia. "By the end of the year, exports in this sector should reach US$ 3 billion. And this success is the result of the quality of our meat. All over the world, the consumer inspects everything," he affirmed. (DAS)