Brazil to Announce Measures to Aid Coffee Growers Friday

  SAO PAULO  -  The Brazilian government will announce Friday a package of

measures intended to help coffee growers cope with low prices, a spokesman for

the agriculture ministry said.

  Brazil's agriculture minister, Antonio Andrade, will hold a news conference

at 1600 GMT Friday to provide details on the measures, the spokesman said.

  Coffee growers have been seeking government assistance for months, as the

price for arabica beans, the most widely grown variety of coffee, has been

sliding. Earlier this month, arabica futures traded on the ICE Futures U.S.

exchange dropped to seven-year lows, pushed down by expectations for a record

harvest in Brazil and for big harvests in other exporting countries such as

Colombia and Indonesia.

  In August, the government introduced some measures intended to help,

including selling options contracts for delivery in April and offering to buy

coffee right away at the official minimum price, but farmers say those measures

have been ineffective.

  "If farmers had that kind of financial muscle" to wait until April delivery,

"then they wouldn't need the government's help," said Francisco Ourique,

superintendent of coffee for the Cooparaiso cooperative that represents more

than 2,500 growers.

  More recently, growers groups presented the government with a "Coffee Pact,"

a series of measures intended to help cut farmers' debt and raise prices in

world markets. Proposals included a moratorium on debt payments, letting

farmers pay their debts with coffee and having the government establish a

strategic stockpile of beans to help regulate prices.

  Growers gave the government until Nov. 14 to act, but the government missed

that deadline, saying it was considering what action to take. Friday's

announcement is expected to be a response to the Coffee Pact.

  Growers groups have said farmers are taking a loss on every 132-pound bag

they sell, and some can't afford the maintenance required to maximize coffee

production in their fields. That could lead to smaller crops in the future.

  Brazil is the world's biggest producer of coffee.

REUNIÃO VIRTUAL DO CMN FICA PARA A MANHÃ DESTA SEXTA-FEIRA

A reunião virtual do Conselho Monetário Nacional (CMN),

marcada para esta quinta-feira, ficou para a manhã desta sexta-feira,

provavelmente, segundo fonte do Ministério da Fazenda. No setor café, a

expectativa é total pela aprovação de voto prorrogando por 120 dias as

dívidas vencidas e vincendas a partir de 1 de novembro. Também são

aguardadas outras medidas.

    Segundo a fonte do Ministério da Fazenda, por problemas de agenda dos

membros do CMN não houve a votação dos itens pelo sistema eletrônico. Assim,

a reunião virtual por esse meio ficou para esta sexta-feira.

    O Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (Mapa), por sua

vez, anunciou pela assessoria de comunicação que o ministro Antônio Andrade

anuncia nesta sexta-feira, 22 de novembro, medidas de apoio ao setor cafeeiro

às 14 horas, no auditório maior do Mapa.