The Movement of Landless Rural Workers of Rio Grande do Sul and the Organic Rice Management Group held their Agroecological Rice Harvest Festival this Friday, the largest ever organized by the group, in the Filhos de Sepé settlement, where the participation of the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
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Ministers and secretaries of the Brazilian government participated in the meeting, as well as parliamentarians from progressive parties and foreign delegations from countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba and Venezuela. Members of popular movements, universities and organizations from different parts of the country also did so.
In a statement, the MST announced that it is expected to harvest more than 16,000 tons of organic rice, a production that is carried out in 22 locations in 11 municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul, and involves 352 families and nine cooperatives.
The historic political leader Olivio Dutra and the human rights defender @mariadorosario get on the machines @MST_Official for harvesting organic rice.
Signs of a model that opposes the recent complaints against agribusiness for the use of slave labor. pic.twitter.com/PORuW1pTrY
— Nacho Lemus (@LemusteleSUR)
March 17, 2023
The MST is one of the largest producers of organic rice in Brazil and Latin America, according to data from the Riograndense Rice Institute.
The settled families of the Popular Agrarian Reform work to produce food in a healthy way, while preserving the environment. They also live in a cooperative environment, with income distribution and a fair price guarantee for consumers.
During the event, the presentation of the Ana Primavesi Bioinputs Production Unit is expected, a project developed to guarantee the fertility of the land and reduce costs for rice-producing families.
The initiative was proposed in the National Bioinputs Course, held in 2022, at the Josué de Castro Institute, in the Filhos de Sepé settlement, in Viamão. The meeting brought together farmers from eight states, who work in the rice, bean, corn, soybean, fruit and agroforestry chains.