MST leaves Embrapa area and demands compliance with agreements – 04/23/2023 – Power

The flag of the MST (Movement of Landless Rural Workers) is no longer flying on the land of Embrapa Semiarid, in the rural area of ​​Petrolina (712 km from Recife), since the end of the morning of this Saturday (22).

Families who invaded the federal area a week ago, amid actions of the so-called Red April, migrated to a temporary camp in a neighboring area, where they await the fulfillment of the promise of new settlements by the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) government.

The invasion of the Embrapa farm strained the relationship between the MST and the Lula government, which hardened its statements against the movement after the episode.

The wave of invasions irritated President Lula, who fears that the actions will cause wear and tear on the government, especially with agribusiness. There is also fear that this movement will disrupt the progress of agendas of interest to the Lula administration in Congress.

The group’s withdrawal began last Thursday (20th), right after a meeting of MST leaders with the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Incra (National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform).

The signed agreement provides for the survey of the camped families, the purchase of five properties in the region for the settlement of all and the sending of tarpaulins and basic baskets to serve the group while they wait for the new lands.

Movement leaders say they are hopeful that the resolution will be fulfilled. But they are ready to return to occupy the Embrapa Semi-Arid area if the federal government does not fulfill its part.

The new camp is about 40 meters from the farm, in a strategic location in case they need to return.

The court even determined the repossession of the site, giving 48 hours for peaceful eviction. The subpoena was delivered on Thursday (20). This Saturday morning (22nd), there was a Federal Police vehicle on the highway near the farm, but the agents did not intervene.

Leader of the occupation, Florisvaldo Araújo Neves says that the departure of the landless from the farm was not motivated by the court order.

“If there was no negotiation [com o governo], we weren’t going to get off that easy. It is natural that every company, whether public or private, files for repossession. But the process of resistance is up to us.”

He also emphasizes the alert regarding the registration of families, the first step in the agreement with the government. “If you don’t start, our red light is already on”, says the farmer.

Men, women and even children help build the new camp erected in an area provided by the Josias e Samuel Settlement, also from the MST.

The shacks were set up with stakes taken from the area, tarpaulins and coconut straw. The finishing is done with nails and even lashings with remains of irrigation hoses, collected in neighboring areas.

There are more than 600 families in the group, which exceeds 2,000 people. Most came from the urban area of ​​Lagoa Grande (PE), a neighboring city, and from the municipality of Petrolina itself.

According to the leaders of the movement, the majority are rural workers who do not own land and were employees of farms in the region.

Farmer Célio Costa, 45, was one of those who left Lagoa Grande. “I’ve been a farmer since I was little and we need a piece of land so we can plant and raise small animals”, he says.

He left his wife at home and went to the camp with four other family members, including brothers-in-law and nephews.

The group that forms the so-called “Embrapa Settlement” has been meeting for four years. They say that they were already monitoring the area, which, according to them, was not used by the federal agency.

Embrapa, however, says that the land is for the preservation of the caatinga and that its invasion has compromised the lives of endangered animals, in addition to research for environmental conservation and sustainable use of the biome, carried out on the spot.

The area belongs to the former Services, Products and Markets Unit, now part of Embrapa Semi-Arid. According to the agency, it is used for setting up various experiments and genetic multiplication of seedlings and seeds.

The MST in Pernambuco stated, in a note, that nothing was damaged by the families and that no animal was threatened.

While the report by Sheet was at the camp this Saturday morning, an assembly of landless people from the occupation was held.

They received guidance from leaders reinforcing the agreement with the federal government, asked families to stick together and highlighted rules for internal organization, such as cleaning the camp, building public restrooms and taking care of fire in the area.

The consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited among campers.

The space where the MST was installed should be used, in August this year, for the 10th edition of the Semiarid Show. The fair presents new technologies for family farmers in the region, and usually receives more than 20,000 people from various states in the Northeast.

This was the largest area invaded by the MST in Pernambuco in the Red April of this year. In the state, eight areas were occupied by 2,280 landless families. Throughout the country, farms and Incra headquarters were invaded. The movement claims that these are unproductive lands.

The MST puts pressure on the Lula government to present an action plan for agrarian reform for the next four years and meet the demands of camped and settled families. The landless are dissatisfied with the slow pace of federal management on the issue.

The organization estimates that around 100,000 families live in camps in Brazil. Of these, 30,000 are in areas in the process of regularization that were not completed by Incra.

In conversations with the government, the MST argues that it is the role of the movement to press for the reform to be a de facto priority for the Executive.