Member of MST occupy 750 ha of land belonging to CHina's Chongqin Grain Corp in São Lourenço do Sul, in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul state of Brazil, 19 October 2015 (Photo: MST)
Landless peasants occupy area in São Lourenço do Sul
The area has approximately 750 hectares and is located 201 kilometers from Porto Alegre (the capital of Rio Grande do Sul state).
Early Monday morning (19), about 400 landless families occupied the Sol Agricola Farm, located in the municipality of São Lourenço do Sul, in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul state.
The area has approximately 750 hectares and is located 201 kilometers from Porto Alegre (the capital of Rio Grande do Sul state).
According to the landless peasants, the farm is owned by a Chinese company (Chongqing Grain Group.) and there are indications that it has been left unproductive.
With this occupation, the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST) aims to denounce the foreignization of Brazilian lands, land that is being sold to foreigners and placing at risk national sovereignty.
“In addition to the farm having been bought by a foreigner, the area does not fulfill its social function. Meanwhile, there are various landless peasant families that could be producing healthy food and living on this location,” explains Paulo Machado from the state coordination of the MST.
The landless also demand that the National Insitute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA) expropriate the area to settle the landless families camping out throughout the state.
According to Machado, over 50 families can be settled on the farm, and there is no expectation that they will leave the location. “Our struggle is of resistance, and since the area is unproductive, we will remain here and soon begin producing food,” he declared.
The families that occupy the farm were camping alongside public highways in the municipalities of Ecruzilhada do Sul, Eldorado do Sul, Tapes and Pelotas, throughout the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul state.
