RIO DE JANEIRO, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government launched Thursday the Sustainable Amazon Plan, a package of strategies aimed at securing sustainable development in the country's Amazon forest region.

    According to the government, the plan is expected to create jobs, generate economic growth and reduce inequalities in Brazil's northern area inhabited by 23 million people.

    The plan will boost "innovative economic activities," sustainable exploration of natural resources and preservation of the environment.

    It will tackle infrastructure, including improving river navigation and expanding port networks and other logistical projects to further integrate the Amazon region into the country.

    It is also expected to monitor the commitments by the local governments for the reduction of deforestation in the region.

    Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, while addressing a ceremony marking the launch of the plan, called for more cautiousness in agricultural production in the region.

    "If we do not do things properly, some countries will soon raise the question of not importing the Brazilian soybeans because it deforests the Amazon," he said.