Lula talks about agrarian reform “without much fight” at the launch of the Terra da Gente program

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) launched this Monday (15) the Terra da Gente program aimed at agrarian reform. The initiative was announced amid land invasions by the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST). For the PT member, the initiative “is a new way for us to face an old problem”. The representative stated that he intends to show the lands that can be used in agrarian reform “without much fighting”.

“I asked Paulo Teixeira [ministro do Desenvolvimento Agrário] to carry out a survey with the help of the governors, the secretariats that take care of land in each state, with the state Incra staff, so that we could have an idea of ​​all the land that could be made available for settlement in that country”, said Lula.

“That [o Terra da Gente] does not invalidate the continuity of the fight for agrarian reform, but what we want to do is show the eyes of Brazil what we can use without much struggle”, added the chief executive during the program’s announcement ceremony at Palácio do Planalto.

Among the measures envisaged, the Terra da Gente program establishes the so-called “land shelves” that encompass unproductive or vacant areas in the Union that can be used in agrarian reform. Lula signed the decree to create the initiative. The text should be made official this Tuesday (16) in the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU).

According to Palácio do Planalto, the budget foreseen for 2024 is R$520 million for the acquisition of properties, benefiting 73 thousand families. By 2026, 295 thousand families must be included in the National Agrarian Reform Program, with 74 thousand settled and 221 thousand recognized or regularized in existing settlement lots.

“In addition, another 7 thousand families must access land through the National Land Credit Program. Thus, Terra da Gente and the new obtaining alternatives will increase the number of families settled by 877% in relation to the period from 2017 to 2022”, said Planalto.

The Minister of Agrarian Development, Paulo Teixeira, stated that there is an agreement with the Ministry of Finance to promote dialogues with states that may use land as a way of reducing debts with the Union, such as tax credits and credits from refinancing contracts.

“We will participate in this dialogue, in order to collect land from the states for agrarian reform, which can be donated to reduce debts. Thus, states will be able to offer land to settle families and we will receive it; Obviously, they will undergo a prior evaluation by us”, said the minister. He did not detail which states are interested in the initiative.

“The decree signed by President Lula organizes different ways of obtaining and allocating land: already acquired, under acquisition, subject to adjudication due to debts with the Union, unproductive properties, properties owned by banks and public companies, illicit areas, federal public lands, donated lands and state properties that can be used to pay debts with the Union”, highlighted the government, in a note.