MST cites Haddad’s request to vacate Embrapa’s area – 04/20/2023 – Power

João Paulo Rodrigues, from the national coordination of the MST (Movement of Landless Rural Workers), said that the political crisis involving land invasions was treated in a secondary way in a meeting this Thursday (20) with Fernando Haddad.

The coordinator said that the meeting with Haddad was fruitful in relation to the movement’s demands and that there was no pressure to stop or reduce the pace of invasions.

He also said that the finance minister specifically asked for the evacuation of the Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) area that was invaded in Petrolina (PE).

Rodrigues stated to Sheet that the movement had already committed to leaving the area, signaling reinforced at the meeting, which took place this afternoon in São Paulo.

“There is no way to increase or decrease. It will remain as it is, at this very small pace”, said Rodrigues, criticizing what he called a narrative to harm the entity. “Eventually there will be occupations, it’s in the nature of the movement. That hasn’t changed anything.”

According to him, Haddad also expressed concern about the invasion of productive lands.

“We are not going to occupy productive land. What the MST signals is that productive land cannot be deforested, cannot have slave labor. Our main target is for the government to implement agrarian reform,” Rodrigues told the report.

He said that, in addition to the environmental preservation area controlled by Embrapa, the MST will leave the area in the municipality of Aracruz (ES) that was invaded. Rodrigues avoided setting a deadline for the removal, but said that this will happen as soon as a place for the families is found.

“We occupy Embrapa as a form of protest.”

Haddad left the meeting without speaking to the press. According to his advisory, nothing was decided at the meeting.

The MST representative stated that the head of the Treasury undertook to move forward with his team in the discussion on more accessible interest rates for financing rural producers. “This is central to us,” Rodrigues said.

Another promise made at the meeting, according to his report, was to create a working group to discuss the proposal that Union debtors may settle debts in land. “There are BRL 40 billion in debt, which equals 5 million hectares. With this land, we settle all the families in camps.”

The Minister of Finance also signaled his intention to increase the budget of Incra (National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform) this year, reaching the amount of R$ 500 million, according to Rodrigues’ report.

“We are together with him [Haddad]in support of the fiscal framework and its fight against companies that are not paying taxes, which is important”, said Rodrigues.

Collaborated Rafael Balago, from São Paulo