This Tuesday, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared that, due to the heavy rains hitting Rio Grande do Sul and causing floods and deaths, the government is considering the import of rice and beans to maintain balance in production and avoid possible price increases.
— Now with the rain, I think we have delayed the (rice) harvest in Rio Grande do Sul once and for all. If this is the case, to balance production, we will have to import rice, we will have to import beans so that let us put a price on the table of the Brazilian people that is compatible with what they earn — said Lula during a radio interview.
The heavy rains that hit Rio Grande do Sul have already left 90 confirmed deaths, 132 missing and 361 people injured as of this Tuesday. The storms, which began on April 27th, gained strength on the 29th and have already affected more than 1.3 million people in Rio Grande do Sul, according to the latest Civil Defense bulletin.
More than 155,000 people are homeless and another 48,000 are in shelters. The brand has already surpassed the last environmental tragedy in the state, in September 2023, when 54 people died.
Bahia
During the interview, Lula recalled the storms that had hit Bahia in 2022. Without mentioning the name of former president Jair Bolsonaro, Lula stated that he remembered that “the president of the Republic was riding on a jet ski.”
At the time, Bolsonaro was vacationing on the coast of Santa Catarina and was often seen riding a watercraft. In total, 25 people died and 32,594 were left homeless. Bolsonaro did not visit the affected areas.
— I remember when there was a flood in Bahia, in 2022. I remember that the President of the Republic was riding a jet ski in Fernando de Noronha and wasn’t worried. I remembered this case to draw attention to the following: there is still a lot of fake news telling lies about Rio Grande do Sul, belittling the people who are working.
