Brasília, May 30, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - On Thursday (29), in Brasília, the Minister of Agrarian Development, Miguel Rossetto, opened the first meeting of the Work Group (GT) on International Negotiations and Family Farming, which will evaluate the situation of Brazilian family farming in the international agreements of the Mercosur, FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas), European Union, and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

According to Rossetto, this is a strategic theme for Brazil, since the family farming sector is responsible for 40% of the gross value of agricultural production, 77% of the rural labor force, and 85% of the country's rural properties. For the Minister, family farming cannot play a secondary role in international agreements, and it is essential to preserve the sector's productive capacity, technological development, and job and income generation capacity. (DAS)