Brasília, 24 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Yesterday president Fernando Henrique Cardoso announced a series of programs to create jobs and income. Among them, a new line of credit for low-revenue small businesses (Empreendedor Popular) which is part of the Worker Assistance Fund (FAT). It will make loans of up to R$10,000 (US$3,491) and benefit an estimated 14 million people. The FAT will also spend R$700 million (US$244.4 million) on the 2002/2003 harvest which will preserve 470,000 jobs in the farm sector.

Cardoso also announced that the Program for Generation of Jobs and Income in Urban Areas (Proger) will open a R$2 billion (US$700 million) line of credit for small business cash flow, benefitting 160,000 small businesses. (AB)