Edla Lula
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília - In his weekly radio program, "Breakfast with the President" (Café com o Presidente), president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared that the increase of the country's minimum wage from US$138.10 (R$ 300) to US$161,11 (R$ 350) would mean more food on Brazilian's dinner tables. "When we took office, the minimum wage could purchase 1.3 basic needs baskets. Today the new minimum wage can buy a little more than two basic needs baskets - 2.2 of them, in fact.... That means the wage earner is taking home more food and his children are eating better," said the president.

Lula pointed out that the minimum wage was made law through a presidential decree because the Congress had been unable to vote on the measure.

Translation: Allen Bennett