'Hiring in Brazil Is a Disaster because People Are Addicted to Bolsa Família', Says the Egg King

Businessman Ricardo Faria, 50, known as the "Egg King" and listed as one of the richest people in Brazil, criticizes bureaucracy, the high tax burden, labor laws, and political polarization—issues that, in his view, distract from the country’s real problems, like infrastructure.

Faria produces 13 billion eggs per year through Global Eggs, which controls Granja Faria (Brazil), Hevo Group (Spain), and Hillandale Farms (USA).

He also questions the government’s main social program, saying "people are addicted to Bolsa Família." "We don’t even get the chance to bring these people in for training and offer them a better life because they’re stuck in the program," he says. "On the other hand, young people no longer want to have a formal job and go to the same place every day. Here we can’t do it because the state keeps them under its wing."

Faria says staying away from politics is impossible, and he regularly donates to right-wing candidates such as Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos).

"Running a business in Brazil is like paddling upstream. There’s a fallen tree, and suddenly you see a snake, a crocodile. That’s what doing business in Brazil is," he says. "The country has fallen behind because of three constraints: high taxes, high interest rates, and excessive bureaucracy for companies. With these interest rates, I don’t borrow."

For Faria, when problems arise, instead of cutting spending, the government raises taxes. "We’ve created a culture in which people want to stay small."