Reuters alone on Brazil’s tough restrictions on agriculture

In an exclusive interview on Sept 9 with Brazil’s Environment Minister Carlos Minc, Reuters was nearly 24 hours ahead of the competition to announce a government plan to apply tough new environmental regulations that will restrict farm activities in the vast savannah, the countries main agricultural frontier. Minc also told Reuters of planned restrictions on ethanol production in the Amazon and the Pantanol wetland nearly two weeks before a scheduled announcement. The move will impact domestic and foreign investors who had been looking to expand cane plantations and mills especially in the productive PAntanal region in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. The report was picked up in domestic and international media and widely commented upon among agriculture analysts.