State deputies came out in defense of the Movement of Landless Rural Workers and Workers (MST) of Ceará and the state government during the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly, this Wednesday (24).
On the tribune of the house, opposition deputy Felipe Mota (União Brasil) criticized the speed of the agreement signed between the Secretariat for Agrarian Development (SDA) and the MST for the release of resources in the amount of R$ 1.5 million in the form of sponsorship for farmers to exhibit their products at the traditional Agrarian Reform Fair, which took place between May 11th and 14th, in São Paulo.
State deputy Renato Roseno (PSOL) was the first to come out in defense of the SDA and the MST. The parliamentarian, who was at the fair, emphasized the importance of the event that brought together more than 320,000 people in a space with healthy food, free of poison and with food produced in different parts of Brazil.
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Roseno also recalled that it is common for the state to encourage the holding of fairs and exhibitions, be it the March for Jesus, or the trip of representatives from Ceará to Rotterdam, in Germany, to promote local fruit growing. “Why is it not legitimate for peasants, land reform settlers to have their fair? Deputy Felipe may even disagree with the late decision, but we ourselves, at the end of last year’s lights, sponsored the March for Jesus, in the same procedure and no one disagreed with that decision”, questioned the congressman.
Deputy Júlio César (PT) also spoke out in favor of the Movement and the State Government. The parliamentarian disclosed the numbers achieved by the National Agrarian Reform Fair, which had the participation of 1,700 fairgrounds and 191 cooperatives that took around 560 tons of products to São Paulo. “National and international recognition. An opportunity to exhibit our products from Ceará. Now they want to do politics with legal, fair sponsorship, with the documents handled, signed, the perfect procedure, done correctly. What’s wrong with that? Crime is to bear false witness,” said the deputy.
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On the tribune, the leader of the government in the Assembly, Deputy Romeu Aldigueri (PDT), stated that there is nothing wrong with the processing of the agreement signed by the holder of the SDA, Moisés Braz, and recalled that the resource has not yet been transferred. “What we have here is the sponsorship (for participation) of a national agrarian reform fair that involves more than 320,000 people. The state hasn’t even made the budget contribution and still hasn’t paid for this fair, legal sponsorship, just as we also sponsor the Faec fair and other livestock fairs for rural farmers, which is also legitimate”.
CPI do MST
The attacks on the MST in Ceará by parliamentarians who support ex-president Jair Bolsonaro take place at the same time that they are trying to criminalize the Movement through a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) installed in the Chamber of Deputies.
MST Ceará participated in the National Agrarian Reform Fair with 40 tons of food produced in all regions of the state / Matheus Alves
State deputy Missias of the MST, representative of Ceara peasants and settlers in the Legislative Assembly of Ceará, issued a note defending the “legitimate participation of farmers and family farmers in the settlements”. The parliamentarian pointed out that “there is no illegality” in the institutional support for agrarian reform in Ceará. “In the same way that the State finances agribusiness at international fairs, it must also promote the production of healthy food by peasants throughout Brazil”, says the text.
Also by means of a note, the SDA communicated that the signed contract “fulfilled all the legal requirements provided for in State Law No. 16.142/2016, which deals with the sponsorship policy of the Public Administration of the State of Ceará”. He also said that before the formalization of the contract, “a technical analysis was carried out with a budget allocation forecast to support the expected expenditure and that in the end there will be due accountability and detailed analysis of the project’s execution”.
:: Pro-agrarian reform deputies say they will not limit themselves to a defensive posture during the MST CPI ::
The MST Ceará also manifested itself. In a note, the movement repudiated the attacks suffered in Alece by “state deputies who have no commitment to the people”. The text, signed by the Ceará State Coordination, informs that the movement was in the Água Branca Park, in São Paulo, with 2 trucks of products, totaling more than 40 tons coming directly from settlements and agrarian reform camps from all regions of the state. “We always affirm our commitment to produce healthy food and guarantee food on the tables of those who need it most. There is no illegality in any government supporting peasant family farming, which in fact produces more than 70% of the food that goes to the table of the Brazilian population”.
Data from the National Agrarian Reform Fair
In addition to the numbers already cited by the report, during the National Agrarian Reform Fair, 500 tons of organic food from all over Brazil were sold, as well as more than 80,000 meals were served at the Culinária da Terra hub, to promote peasant food culture. To sow solidarity, 38 tons of food were donated to organizations in the communities of São Paulo, and to make sprouts, 880 kg of seeds and 20,000 seedlings were distributed in São Paulo to build the Space of the National Plan “Planting Trees, Producing Food Healthy”.
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Source: BdF Ceará
Editing: Camila Garcia
