Lula: We are trying to rebuild the fertilizer industry to avoid dependence

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) stated in an interview with the German newspaper Der Spiegelpublished this Thursday, 16, that Brazil is trying to rebuild the fertilizer industry so as not to become “dependent” on other countries in the sector.

The president also said that former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) closed fertilizer factories and that the sector should have been boosted in the past. Still according to Lula, Brazil has faced problems in the area since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

“Since the start of the war in Ukraine, we have been facing problems with the supply of fertilizers. We should have boosted domestic fertilizer production 20 or 30 years ago. Instead, my predecessor’s government closed some of our fertilizer factories. Now, we are trying to rebuild our own industry. We cannot become dependent on others,” he declared.

Regarding the conflict in the Middle East, which began at the end of February when an action coordinated by the United States and Israel culminated in the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Lula said that the government took measures to prevent the prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene from rising. The measures are subsidies announced by Planalto to mitigate the effects of the war.

“This war against Iran led to a 35% increase in gasoline prices in the USA. Here in Brazil, we took measures to prevent the prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene from rising. This is how we prevent the war from impacting Brazilians’ lunches,” he stated.

This weekend, Lula will participate, alongside the German Chancellor, Friedich Merz, at the Hannover Fair. According to the PT member, the occasion will serve to demonstrate to international businesspeople Brazilian advances in the biofuels sector.