Brasília, October 15, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues, said today that transgenics have been a topic "that is hurting a lot," due to gratuitous attacks suffered by the government, stemming from simple prejudice and lack of information about the theme. Even so, the Minister affirmed that he is open to dialogue and prepared to debate the question. He believes, however, that the discussions should not be dominated by "the ignorance and irrational conclusions produced by pure prejudice."

For his part, the president of the PT, José Genoíno, affirmed that the government is working to maintain the provisional measure signed by Vice-President José Alencar, which authorizes the cultivation of transgenics in the country. He pointed out, however, that cultivation in Indian and environmentally protected areas should be prohibited. (DAs)