Rural Family Agro-Industries: advantages and disadvantages of legalization

Abstract

This article discusses the rural family agro-industry as one of the supporting pillars and strengthening family farming, bringing up the theme legalization of the agro-industries. In Rio Grande do Sul, the Decree nº 49.341 is enacted in 2012, creating the Programa Estadual da Agroindústria Familiar (State Program of Family Agro-industry) – PEAF, which has as one of its general objectives legalizing family agro-industries. In this context: what advantages and/or disadvantages has the family farmer with the legalization of their agro-industry? To elucidate this question, the research aimed to analyze, from the perception of managers, the reality post-legalization of the rural family agro-industries of farinaceous derivatives (bakery and pasta) in the Conselho Regional de Desenvolvimento (Regional of Development Council) – COREDE Fronteira Noroeste. For this, an exploratory research was performed, using a questionnaire and a semi-structured interviews to collect data on a sample of 18 agro-industries of farinaceous derivatives. Among the results achieved, stand out the possibility of marketing products through public policies, such as the Programa Nacional da Alimentação Escolar (National Program of School Feeding) – PNAE and the Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos (Food Acquisition Program) – PAA, increased customer base and also the volume of products sold, as the main advantages of legalizing the agro-industries; and the payment of duties and taxes as the main disadvantage. Moreover, it revealed, too, the difficulty of managers realize the whole process inherent to the legalization of agro-industries. Finally, it emphasizes the important contribution of the agro-industries – inserted within the family farming – to meet the demand for food, for a better and more balanced income distribution, reduce poverty, to create jobs and, consequently, permanence of these workers in the countryside and contribute to improving the quality of family life as well as for local and regional development.