Brasília, April 24, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Constitutional Funds of the North (FNO), Center-West (FCO), and Northeast (FNE), will have approximately R$ 5.7 billion this year to finance productive investments. Of this total, R$ 3.47 will be for the FNE, R$ 1.1 billion for the FCO, and R$ 1 billion for the FNO. This information was announced on Wednesday (23) by the Minister of National Integration, Ciro Gomes, during a debate before the Agriculture and Rural Policy Commission of the Chamber of Deputies.

Gomes said that the constitutional funds now have new operating norms, among which he cited: 1) the ceiling on credit to enterprises was lowered from R$ 20 million to R$ 10 million; 2) credit for projects to generate electric energy is prohibited; and 3) the credits will go first to small enterprises, then medium ones, and finally large ones. (DAS)