POLÍTICA DE CRÉDITO DO PROGRAMA NACIONAL DE FORTALECIMENTO DA AGRICULTURA FAMILIAR (PRONAF): RESULTADOS E LIMITES DA EXPERIÊNCIA BRASILEIRA NOS ANOS 90

Resumo

O Programa Nacional de Fortalecimento da Agricultura Familiar (Pronaf), criado em 1994, é um exemplo de política pública voltada à promoção das capacidades de produção de populações pobres. Ele é constituído de três tipos de intervenção: melhoramento das infra-estruturas rurais, apoio ao crédito para a agricultura familiar e formação dos agricultores. Este artigo procura analisar os resultados e os limites da política de crédito do Pronaf. Essa política permitiu que milhares de agricultores familiares tivessem acesso ao crédito bancário pela primeira vez. Entretanto, a ampliação da base social do Programa às populações mais pobres leva os bancos a afrouxar os critérios de atribuição dos créditos, induzindo os agricultores a ficar dependentes inteiramente da sustentação do Estado.

Termos para indexação: economia e desenvolvimento rural, sistemas agrícolas, políticas agrícolas.

CREDIT POLICY TO REINFORCE FAMILY FARMS:
BRAZIL'S EXPERIENCE IN THE 1990s

ABSTRACT

The Brazilian national policy to support family farms (Pronaf) was implemented in 1994 to promote the productive capacity of the rural poor by providing credit to this population with no access to formal bank credit. This policy was aimed at reducing inequity and poverty in the Brazilian society. It was a huge innovation since agriculture had traditionally been based on large landholdings. The first beneficiaries were small family farmers whose activity was mainly based on family labour, with a maximum annual income of 27 500 reais, at least 80% of which came from the property. The State commercial banks were responsible for the financial intermediation. Basically, the program relied on interest rates subsidies, which were necessary in the Brazilian macroeconomic context (Real Plan). Although the number of beneficiaries was significant, until 1998 the Program favoured smallholders of Southern Brazil, who had higher income and better market integration, because bank risk aversion still kept them from lending to the poorest. Demand and protests by several groups led to the program's extension to population with lower annual income, through larger interest rate subsidies. Despite the increasing number of contracts, the program has several drawbacks. Amongst them, is its hugely increased costs, particularly through banks fees, including high administrative and bank spread costs, both paid by the government. Another is that for the poorest smallholders, the policy is finally equivalent of a direct subsidy and has not succeeded in guaranteeing a long term link with formal banks.
Index terms: economy and rural development, farming systems, agricultural policies.

POLITIQUE DE CRÉDIT DU PROGRAMME D'APPUI À L'AGRICULTURE FAMILIALE (PRONAF): RÉSULTATS ET LIMITES DE L'EXPÉRIENCE BRÉSILIENNE DANS LES ANNÉES 1990

RÉSUMÉ

Créé en 1994, le programme d'appui à l'agriculture familiale (Pronaf) est un exemple de politique publique destinée à promouvoir les capacités productives des agriculteurs familiaux. Il est composé de trois grands types d'intervention: l'amélioration des infrastructures rurales; l'appui au crédit pour l'agriculture familiale; et la formation des agriculteurs. Cet article tente de dresser un bilan de la politique de crédit du Pronaf. Cette politique a permis que des centaines de milliers de familles puissent avoir accès au crédit bancaire pour la première fois. Cependant, l'élargissement de la base sociale du programme vers les plus pauvres tend à relâcher les critères bancaires d'attribution des prêts et à rendre les agriculteurs dépendants de l'intervention de l'État.

Termes d'indexation: économie et développement rural, systèmes agraires, politiques agricoles.