The federal government required states and municipalities to present their priorities and plans to combat the effects of El Niño within 30 days, especially in preventing and combating forest fires. According to Valor, the measure follows the recommendation of the National Committee for Integrated Fire Management, was signed by the Minister of the Environment João Paulo Capobianco and published on Wednesday (8/7) in the Official Gazette of the Union.
Union gives states 30 days to inform El Niño prevention plans
The federal government required states and municipalities to present their priorities and plans to combat the effects of El Niño within 30 days, especially in preventing and combating forest fires. According to Valor,...
States and the Federal District must also approve integrated fire management plans and the regulation of prevention and preparation measures in rural properties that meet regional peculiarities. Municipalities must also present their plans, within their legal powers. With this, the Union intends to avoid a repeat of the 2024 scenario, when there was a historic record of fires in the country during the period in which an El Niño was in force.
The expectation is that this year's phenomenon will gain intensity this semester, exactly during the period when most of Brazil is under drier conditions. In addition to increasing the risk of forest fires, El Niño can directly affect national agricultural production, with potential effects on food prices.
According to Valor, the Brazilian Supermarket Association (ABRAS) is monitoring the effects of the weather on the sector's costs. According to the entity's vice-president, Márcio Milan, potentially adverse weather conditions, together with fluctuations in the price of oil caused by attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, could affect the supply chain and food prices in the country. Some crops have already seen an increase in prices in recent months, such as potatoes, tomatoes and onions.
The risk of new extreme events in southern Brazil is one of the sector's concerns. Around 70% of Brazilian rice production, one of the most consumed cereals in the country, is concentrated in Rio Grande do Sul. To make matters worse, the risk of extreme events in other producing regions around the world, such as East and Southeast Asia, also indicates the possibility of disturbances in international rice prices, notes Olhar Digital.
The situation is worrying for Brazil's main agricultural commodities, reports Investalk. FGV experts signaled that, with a stronger El Niño in the coming months, crops such as soybeans, corn, coffee and oranges should be the most affected, with a possible drop in production of 7% to 10%.
The alert was reinforced by the consultancy StoneX, which indicated the possibility of a reduction in commodity production starting this month. "The third quarter will be marked by the consolidation of El Niño and a significant increase in climate risk in several producing regions. The phenomenon tends to modify rainfall and temperature patterns on a global scale, requiring increased attention from producers and market agents", said Carolina Giraldo, analyst at StoneX, to Globo Rural.
The potential impacts of El Niño on prices are not limited to agricultural products. CNN Brasil highlights the risk of rising electricity prices due to heat waves, which are expected to be more frequent in much of the country due to the phenomenon. With the hydroelectric reservoirs drier as a result of the drought and the greater demand for energy for cooling, the activation of fossil fuel thermoelectric plants is expected to increase in the coming months, making Brazilians' electricity bills more expensive.
Source: ClimaInfo
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