New Agrarian Development Minister argues for social function of land

After taking office on Tuesday morning (Dec 6), the new agrarian development minister, Federal Deputy Patrus Ananias, stood up for the constitutional principle of the social function of land and highlighted that the country must not ignore the existence of large landholdings. “One must not only tear down the fences of the large landholdings, but also those of individualism, those which exclude social progress,” the new minister stated. Ananias said he will work to make this principle better known, regulated and put into practice. In his view, this piece of legislation in the Constitution lies “at the roots of the reforms challenging the country: the agrarian and the urban reforms,” and does not imply denying the right to  property, but rather “making it possible alongside other fundamental rights, and Brazil's public and general interest.”

“It is possible to conciliate the rightful interest of big farmers and the no less rightful interest of family-run smallholdings,” Patrus Ananias pointed out. In spite of pledging to dialogue with the ministries related to his, Patrus Ananias stated that ignoring or failing to acknowledge the existence of inequality and injustice would be equivalent to perpetuating them.

In his inauguration speech, Ananias praised the action taken as part of the fight against hunger during Lula's and Rousseff's administrations, and said that Brazil “would be less fair” if it were not for these measures. “We know it's a controversial topic, which is often met with resistance. That's why the solution does not depend on president and her ministers' willingness alone. It entails the National Congress, the Judiciary Power, the Public Prosecution Office, and, above all, the society, through the media and the social organizations. In the end, it's a choice made by society itself.”

Patrus Ananias further promised to expand the mechanisms for collaborative democracy, heeding the words of advice from the people and the local conferences, apart from negotiating with social movements, associations and religious representatives. He added that he will continue and strengthen actions in progress, like the implementation of the National Technical Assistance and Rural Extension, which, he says, will consolidate the experience of the ministry in the field.

The minister, which was head of the Minister of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger during Lula's government, is taking the reins of the Agrarian Development Ministry after Miguel Rossetto, who is to lead the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic in Dilma Rousseff's second presidential term.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira