Concentration of Land Makes No Sense, Says Brazilian Government

According to the Executive Secretary of Brazil’s Ministry of Agrarian Development, Guilherme Cassel, the government has been working to meet the demands of the march of the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST).

“We inherited unstructured settlements, with no production capacity. It is a difficult plan, but some of the demands, such as the credit line, technical support, and education for settled families, are already being executed by the government,” Cassel affirmed in an interview to Rádio Nacional.


According to the secretary, in 2004 technical support was offered to 423 thousand families, which represents 78% of the total families that already have land.


“Our objective in 2005 is to extend this support, so that families may produce and live on this production.”


Regarding the line of credit, the Lula government has already assigned more than US$ 400 million (1 billion reais) to settlements, he said.


“These are measures that aim not only at the quantity, but also at the quality of the reform. To give land is only the first step. Families need basic production conditions as well.”


The government’s goal for 2005 is to settle 115 thousand families. The secretary said that, according to a research performed by the Ministry in 2004, settled families with basic production conditions reach a high productivity level.


“In these areas we find the highest levels of food production in the country.”


Cassel said that the agrarian reform has been a fundamental issue for the progress of developed countries, and that it is not “reasonable” for Brazil, in the beginning of the 21st century, to remain one of the countries with the highest concentration of large landholdings in the world.


Agência Brasil

Tags:

You May Also Like

RAPIDINHAS

Like a mythological phoenix, Trio Mocotó, rises from the ashes with results that are ...

For Brazil’s Lula Winning Reelection Will Be Easy. The Problem Will Be Governing

With only a week left for Brazil’s October 1st general election, a public opinion ...

Brazilian AirTragedy: Blame the Software, the Radar and the Radio Too

Two air traffic controllers who monitored the Legacy executive jet that collided with the ...

Public Admission of Being Gay Lands Brazilian Army Officers in Jail

Two Brazilian Army sergeants were arrested Tuesday, June 3, yesterday at a TV Network ...

Brazil’s Opposition Picks Sí£o Paulo Governor for President and Market Cheers

Latin American stocks posted solid gains, with Brazilian shares getting a boost from reports ...

The Idea of a FTAA with the US and Without Cuba is Dead, Says Brazil’s Lula

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stressed Friday, July 21, in Argentina, the ...

Brazil’s 1.5 Million Natural-Gas Car Fleet to Grow 10%

Vehicles powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) are expected to grow 10% this year, ...

Brazil Joins Colombia to Fight Drugs

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that he considers yesterday summit in ...

Brazil’s Sugar Cane Harvest Grows 5.7% to 440 Million Tons

Brazil should harvest 440 million tons in the next sugar cane crop. The volume ...

Brazil’s Lula in Davos: Preacher and Salesman

A day away from the official opening of the world’s most important capitalist encounter, ...