Lula embarks on drive to eradicate famine

news.ft.com By Raymond Colitt in São Paulo Published: January 30 2003 19:19 | Last Updated: January 30 2003 22:12

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday launched an ambitious campaign to eradicate famine in Brazil, his first big policy initiative to tackle the country's infamous social inequalities.

"It is much more than an emergency donation of food. We need to attack the causes of hunger, to give fish and teach how to fish," Mr Lula da Silva said.

The success of the government's flagship welfare programme will be key in sustaining the popularity Mr Lula da Silva requires to implement much-needed structural reform to alleviate Brazil's economic problems. Reducing social inequalities, the president has argued, is not only a moral obligation but also essential to maintain political stability.

José Graziano, the government minister charged with the programme, said a pilot project would begin next week in the drought-plagued north-eastern state of Piauí, one of the country's poorest. Families would receive electronic debit cards with which they can withdraw R$50 each month from public banks to buy food.

He also announced an increase of funds for day care centres and school lunches. The programme, which is to include numerous welfare projects such as job training and scholarships, will rely heavily on local community organisation for its implementation and control.

The programme is to be funded by the government, multilateral lending agencies and corporate donations.

Mr Lula da Silva has earned applause at home and abroad for his emphasis on hunger eradication. Many people have donated food and celebrities, such as super model Giselle Bundchen, have given money. Unlike sub-Saharan Africa, famine in Brazil is localised and the food supply is ample. But since taking office a month ago, Mr Lula da Silva has found that implementing policies to eradicate famine is no easy task.

"The programme is as complex as the enemy [hunger] it tries to conquer," Mr Lula da Silva said on Thursday. "It won't be eliminated over night."

Surprisingly, the anti-famine programme has generated con siderable controversy, particularly over who is to benefit and who is to control government aid.

Defining and identifying target populations has been difficult because of diverging statistics and methodologies, and politically sensitive due to competition among constituencies. Some 10m people are considered undernourished and 45m as living under the poverty line.

Some analysts cautioned that a broad-focused project, a large target population and unnecessary bureaucracy could dilute the impact of the project.

Critics even within Mr Lula da Silva's Wokers' party (PT) have opposed restricting the use of aid for food purchases, arguing family needs vary substantially. The more restrictions are imposed, the bigger the chance for fraud and the more difficult and costly control of the programme becomes, they say.

The government will launch an advertisement campaign in coming days in an effort to generate public awareness and involvement.