Lula: “Land must belong to the people so they can produce”

Last Friday, March 7, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva participated in the delivery of 12,297 lots of land to families camped in 138 rural settlements in Brazil — 385 thousand hectares spread across 24 states. During the ceremony, held in Campo do Meio, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, Lula signed seven decrees of social interest for the purposes of agrarian reform, totaling 13,307 hectares and BRL 189 million in investments.

“Those who have a cause, courage, character and dignity do not run away from challenges: they face them. You have faced them and today you are reaping what you fought so hard for. You proudly have all the guaranteed rights to make your dream come true. What we did today is begin paying a 525-year-old debt that this country owes to the Brazilian people. We want to give opportunities to everyone,” declared the President.

Who is the State? It is the people. And the land must be in the hands of the people so that they can produce. It took us two years to set up this shelf; now we must start to make land available so that we can settle them"
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Lula argued in favor of the allocation of public lands to agrarian reform, asserting that the State should not keep large tracts of unproductive lands. The President emphasized that it is time for the Our Land program (Programa Terra da Gente) — which defines the “land shelves” that are available in Brazil — to start generating the expected results.

“Who is the State? It is the people. And the land must be in the hands of the people so that they can produce. It took us two years to set up this ‘shelf’; now we must start to make land available so that we can settle them — not only those who are already encamped, but also to ensure that other people who want to work have the right to do so,” said Lula.

Minister Paulo Teixeira (Agrarian Development and Family Farming) highlighted the importance of the workers' struggle for land and the relevance of the movement for food production — and reported that he, President Lula, and other ministers were able to visit Quilombo Campo Grande, where several types of crops are grown.

“We were able to see the production of coffee, corn, sesame, cassava and many fruits — such as guava. We were able to see a lot of things here, and today we are seeing the virtue of agrarian reform, which produces food for the Brazilian people to eat,” he said.

Teixeira also emphasized other announcements that were made during the event, such as more investments in Crédito Instalação, PRONERA and the second operation of PRONAF A. “This is the beginning, the lever, the movement that will allow us to grow and settle thousands of camped people who are living under tarpaulins. It is the reason we will not sleep until we have settled the very last camped people in Brazil.”

DECREES — The seven expropriation decrees signed by President Lula involve three properties in the Ariadnópolis Complex: the Ariadnópolis (3,182 ha), Mata Caxambu (248 ha) and Potreiro (204 ha) farms. Other farms included are the following: Santa Lúcia (5,694 ha), in the municipality of Pau-d'Arco (state of Pará); Crixás (3,103 ha), in Formosa (Goiás); São Paulo (749 ha), in Barbosa Ferraz (Paraná); and Fazenda Cesa – Horto Florestal (125 ha), in Cruz Alta (Rio Grande do Sul).

ORDERS — An Inter-ministerial Ordinance signed by the ministries of Agrarian Development and Family Farming and Finance established a BRL 700 million limit to adjudications (possession) to be carried out in 2025.

RESPECT — Attorney General of the Union (AGU) Jorge Messias stated that the Federal Government will act to enforce the presidential decree and ensure that farmers’  right to land is in fact respected. “We are here to ensure compliance with the law, compliance with the Constitution, and faithful compliance with the right that President Lula is now recognizing,” he pointed out.

SETTLEMENTS — The Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Farming (Ministério do Desenvolvimento Agrário e Agricultura Familiar/MDA) and INCRA (Brazil’s Agrarian Reform National Institute) also signed five ordinances to create settlement projects, all involving lands that were acquired to resolve conflicts and paid for with the 2024 budget, totaling BRL 383 million. Four other ordinances were signed for the creation of settlements on public lands, with the transfer of areas from the Secretariat of Union Property (Secretaria do Patrimônio da União/SPU) to INCRA.

RETURN — President of INCRA César Aldrighi reiterated the positive returns of the agency in Brazil’s agrarian reform. “It is with great pride that we come here to speak in the middle of this place that symbolizes resistance, struggle, commitment, and to sign expropriation decrees again after many years. The decrees symbolize the delivery of 138 settlements and the beginning of agrarian reform after many dark years,” said Aldrighi.

CRÉDITO INSTALAÇÃO — To increase the allocation of resources aimed at the agricultural development of settled families, the Federal Government announced BRL 1.6 billion for Crédito Instalação in 2025 — to be applied to housing, initial support, and promotion of young people and women in agrarian reform. It is estimated that at least 18,000 families will benefit from new housing.

PRONAF A — The event also marked the authorization for the second round of PRONAF A, releasing loans up to BRL 50,000 — with a 25% rebate and interest between 0.5% and 1.5% per year — in addition to BRL 48 million for the National Program for Education in Agrarian Reform (Programa Nacional de Educação na Reforma Agrária/PRONERA) in 2025. In addition, BRL 900 million were allocated to the Food Acquisition Program (Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos/PAA) in which a large part of the production will be purchased from families settled under agrarian reform.

DESENROLA — The ceremony also marked the signing of debt renegotiation contracts — through Desenrola Rural — with agrarian reform settlers. The program that was launched in February allows debts to be refinanced with discounts of up to 96% for the agrarian reform public.

DEEDS — Another 243 land deeds from the National Land Credit Program (Programa Nacional de Crédito Fundiário/PNCF) — totaling BRL 53.7 million — and domain deeds were delivered to ten families in settlements in the states of Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Bahia, Pará and Acre within the scope of the National Agrarian Reform Plan (Plano Nacional de Reforma Agrária/PNRA). As well as giving access to land, the deeds delivered by the PNCF enable beneficiaries to participate in other public policies aimed at generating income and production — such as Pronaf, PAA, and PNAE.

REPRESENTATIVES — The national leader of the Landless Workers' Movement (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra/MST) Ceres Hadich highlighted that it is urgent to address the issues related to the struggle for land and agrarian reform in Brazil. "This is the biggest open scar in our history. There have been over 500 years of violation and denial of this essential human right: the right to access to land, natural resources, an abundant life, and work with dignity,” he said.

RESISTANCE — The state representative of the MST, Silvio Neto, highlighted the resistance of the rural workers of Quilombo Campo Grande, who have faced multiple evictions. “The greatest honorees today must be these people who resisted, and may this resistance inspire all those who struggle. Through this decree we will expand our production and continue to feed ourselves and urban life,” he said.

EFFORT — Edjane Rodrigues, Secretary of Social Policies at the National Confederation of Family Farm Workers [Confederação Nacional dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras na Agricultura Familiar/CONTAG], recognized the Federal Government’s efforts towards agrarian reform. “It is family farming that will end hunger in Brazil, with fair prices for both sellers and buyers,” she said.

PRODUCTION — Representing the National Confederation of Family Farm Workers [Confederação Nacional dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras na Agricultura Familiar/CONTRAF], Josana Lima emphasized that food production in Brazil is largely carried out by family farmers. “Farmers are the ones who ensure that quality food is on the tables of Brazilian citizens. Today is a day of celebration and reaffirmation of our historic commitment to the fight for agrarian reform in this country, for the production of healthy food, and for the strengthening of family farming,” said Josana.

CAMPO GRANDE QUILOMBO — The Ariadnópolis Complex was part of the bankrupt estate of the Ariadnópolis Sugar Mill — which closed its doors in 1996 with several debts and without paying labor rights. In 1998, former employees occupied the land and founded the Campo Grande Quilombo, made up of 11 camps and more than 450 families, each with approximately 8 hectares. The community produces and sells over 160 types of food, including cassava, beans, vegetables, corn, and coffee. The coffee, grown on more than 2.2 million trees and sold under the Guaií brand, has become a national reference of quality.