Red April: MST invades farms and Embrapa area – 04/17/2023 – Politics

The MST (Landless Rural Workers Movement) started the so-called National Day of Struggle for Land and Agrarian Reform with the invasion of at least nine farms and the headquarters of Incra (National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform) in at least seven states. .

The initiatives began this Saturday (15th), when eight farms in the state of Pernambuco were invaded, including areas in the metropolitan region of Recife, Zona da Mata, Agreste and Sertão. In a note, the MST informed that the lands are unproductive latifundia.

One of the areas invaded by 660 families, in the city of Petrolina, belongs to Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation).

In a note, the federal agency informed that the lands are part of Embrapa Semiarid and have been used for the installation of experiments and multiplication of genetic material.

Also according to Embrapa, the invasion also reached preservation areas of the caatinga, compromising the lives of endangered animals, as well as research for environmental conservation and sustainable use of the biome”. .

At dawn on Monday (17), around 200 families invaded an area in the municipality of Aracruz, in Espírito Santo.

The MST alleges that the farm is part of the state government’s assets, but would have been stolen by Aracruz Celulose, a company acquired by Suzano in 2018. When contacted, Suzano has not yet commented on the invasion.

On the morning of this Monday (17th), Incra headquarters were invaded in the states of Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina, Ceará, Mato Grosso do Sul and Rio Grande do Norte, in addition to the Federal District.

In Bahia, families protested at the entrance to the Legislative Assembly of Bahia, where they participated in a public hearing. About 400 people participated in the act, which dealt with the increase in violence in the countryside.

In recent weeks, Bahian state deputies collected the minimum number of signatures for the creation of a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry that would have the objective of investigating land invasions in the state. The MST CPI, however, has not yet been installed.

Last week, a group of around 1,500 landless workers invaded Incra’s headquarters in Maceió (AL). Protesters demanded the dismissal of the agency’s local superintendent, César Lira, who is a cousin of the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP).

The invasions in April mark the 27th anniversary of the Eldorado do Carajás massacre, when 21 landless workers were killed by Pará Military Police troops in 1996.

In a note, the MST defended agrarian reform in the country and highlighted the urgency of investment in family farming and access to credit for the production of more food.

Last week, the national coordinator of the MST, João Paulo Rodrigues, ruled out promoting a wave of property invasions in Abril Vermelho.

In an interview on Tuesday (11), Rodrigues said that occupations should occur occasionally, but not dozens or even hundreds, which characterizes the MST’s annual journey.