Women of Via Campesina occupy a property of Stora Enso March 4th 2008
04/03/2008
- Opinión
Today, March 4th, around 900 women of Via Campesina occupied the "Fazenda Tarumã" with 2.100 hectares , in Rosário do Sul, 400 km far from Porto Alegre. The women arrived in the area at 6 a .m. and immediately initiated the eucalyptus cut and the plantation of native trees.
In a note to the press the women declare: "Our action is legitimate! Stora Enso is illegal! Planting this green desert along the borderland strip is a crime against our country's law, against the "pampa biome" and against food sovereignty of our state that is loosing its lands to produce food. We are stripping out what is bad and planting what is good for the environment and for the people."
Multinational is acting illegally inBrazil
The Stora Enso Company is Swedish-Finnish and according to the Brazilian law (Law nr 6.634, of 1979, article 20, paragraph 2 of Brazilian Federal Constitution) foreigners can't purchase lands less than150 km from our borders. However Stora Enso already has millions of hectares planted in Uruguay
Initially, the Stora Enso bought lands in the name of the Derflin Company, which is a multinational arm for raw material production. Since Derflin is also a foreign company the land bought can't be legalized. For that, Stora Enso created a fake company: the "Agropecuária Azenglever", whose owners are two Brazilians: João Fernando Borges and Otávio Pontes (Forest Director and Vice-president of Stora Enso for Latin America, respectively). They are actually the biggest landowners inRio Grande
Around 50 farms, in a total of more than 45 thousand hectares are already registered in the name of "Agropecuária Azenglever". One of these farms is Tarumã, occupied by the women. There is an investigation being made by the Federal Police, which is responsible to investigate the crime, but the company continues to act freely.
Via Campesina Women Manifest
We, Women of Via Campesina of Rio Grande do Sul, are once again mobilized, on this week of March 8th, to intensify our struggle against the agribusiness and in defense of food sovereignty of the Brazilian population.
The food sovereignty is the people's right to produce his food respecting the biodiversity and the cultural habits of each region. Today in our country the natural resources are under control of the agribusiness multinational corporations and the population has less and less access to land, water and food.
We, women, are the first to be expelled of the agricultural activities in the regions were the agribusiness is increasing its control. Our work is very important for the peasant agriculture because we know how to produce food. But the agribusiness corporations don't want to produce food, they just want to have profits changing fields into green deserts (of eucalyptus, soy, sugar cane). In our state, one of the deserts that is growing most is the one of cellulose eucalyptus.
The cellulose companies are closing their factories inUnited States and in Europe and coming to Latin America . Here they find a lot of land, water, good weather and governments that will fit their interests. More than 90% of the Brazilian cellulose's production is for exportation. Therefore, they reduce food production, destroy biodiversity, increase poverty and inequality to fulfill the profit demand of the companies and a consuming life style in the rich countries. This is the terrible role that Brazil
One of the companies responsible for the advance of the green desert inRio Grande 150 km from the zone borders. However Stora Enso already has millions of hectares planted in Uruguay and is exactly near the South Brazilian border with this country. There is where this giant paper and cellulose company wants to implement a forest base of more than 100 thousand hectares.
Initially, the Stora Enso tried to buy land in the name of the Derflin Company, the multinational arm for raw material production, that couldn't legalize the land because it was foreign company. To make its implementation possible, the multinational created a fake company that is buying lands for it: the Azenglever Ltda farming, whose owners are two important Stora Enso employees.
They became the biggest landowners inRio Grande
Our action is legitimate! Stora Enso is illegal! To plant this green desert along the borderland strip is a crime against our country's law, against the "pampa biome" and against food sovereignty of our state that is loosing its lands to produce food. We are stripping out what is bad and planting what is good for the environment and for the people.
Some parliament representatives instead of fighting the foreigner invasion are proposing the reduction of the border land streak to legalize this crime. They use the argument that this150 km limit blocks the economic development of the villages. But this is a big lie. Everybody knows that the south part of the state doesn't develop because of the large landholdings (latifundios) and the monocultures. This borderland strip also exists in the north part of the state and in this region the economy is dynamic.
The cellulose companies promise to create jobs and development. But once they are installed the rural exodus and poverty increases. They only generate temporary works in precarious conditions and without any respect to worker's rights. An example is "Fazenda Tarumã" in Rosário do Sul, with 2,1 thousand hectares where Stora Enso only has two permanent employees and a few temporary jobs. If this area is designated to agrarian reform it will be possible to settle 100 families, creating at least 300 direct and permanent jobs. Therefore, the agrarian reform and the peasant agriculture are the best alternative to preserve the biodiversity, to generate jobs and income for the rural people and healthier and cheaper food for the urban people.
The project that has been processed in the Senate, that proposes the reduction of the Brazilian borderland strip doesn't include theAmazonia because it considers that as a treat to the forest. In other words it admits that the streak of border will increase the environment destruction. For us the Brazilian biomes are important and we understand that the "cerrado" and "pampa" (temperate grassland biomes) also need to be preserved.
We, women of Via Campesina, are demanding from the Brazilian authorities:
- Cancellation of the illegal land purchase by Stora Enso on the borderland strip and expropriation of these lands to agrarian reform. Only in the 45 thousand hectares in the name of the fake company, Azenglever Farming, it will be possible to settle more than 2 thousand families, generating 6 thousand direct jobs. Actually 2.500 families are encamped in theRio Grande
- Withdrawal of the projects of the Senate and Federal Chamber of representatives that propose the reduction of the border streak of land. This measure will only benefit companies such as Stora Enso that wants to own the lands to turn them into a green desert, to destroy our natural resources as the "Guaraní Aquifer" and the "pampa biome". For the "gauchos" people (people from Rio Grande do Sul) this reduction of the borderland strip will only bring the increase of the rural exodus, employment, environmental destruction and the end of food sovereignty because there will be no more land to produce food.
We know that we can suffer repression from the state government because we are fighting against the green desert. It's a common practice of this government to treat the social movements as criminals and to protect companies that commit crimes against society. We will resist! Our struggle is in defense of people's life and environment. We are 900 women here, but we carry with us the energy and the courage of thousands of peasant women that fight all over the world against the process of transforming natural resources into merchantable goods. As the landless comrade Roseli Nunes, cowardly assassinated in March 1987 here inRio Grande
The Women of Via Campesina ofRio Grande Brazil
March 4th 2008
In a note to the press the women declare: "Our action is legitimate! Stora Enso is illegal! Planting this green desert along the borderland strip is a crime against our country's law, against the "pampa biome" and against food sovereignty of our state that is loosing its lands to produce food. We are stripping out what is bad and planting what is good for the environment and for the people."
Multinational is acting illegally in
The Stora Enso Company is Swedish-Finnish and according to the Brazilian law (Law nr 6.634, of 1979, article 20, paragraph 2 of Brazilian Federal Constitution) foreigners can't purchase lands less than
Initially, the Stora Enso bought lands in the name of the Derflin Company, which is a multinational arm for raw material production. Since Derflin is also a foreign company the land bought can't be legalized. For that, Stora Enso created a fake company: the "Agropecuária Azenglever", whose owners are two Brazilians: João Fernando Borges and Otávio Pontes (Forest Director and Vice-president of Stora Enso for Latin America, respectively). They are actually the biggest landowners in
Around 50 farms, in a total of more than 45 thousand hectares are already registered in the name of "Agropecuária Azenglever". One of these farms is Tarumã, occupied by the women. There is an investigation being made by the Federal Police, which is responsible to investigate the crime, but the company continues to act freely.
Via Campesina Women Manifest
We, Women of Via Campesina of Rio Grande do Sul, are once again mobilized, on this week of March 8th, to intensify our struggle against the agribusiness and in defense of food sovereignty of the Brazilian population.
The food sovereignty is the people's right to produce his food respecting the biodiversity and the cultural habits of each region. Today in our country the natural resources are under control of the agribusiness multinational corporations and the population has less and less access to land, water and food.
We, women, are the first to be expelled of the agricultural activities in the regions were the agribusiness is increasing its control. Our work is very important for the peasant agriculture because we know how to produce food. But the agribusiness corporations don't want to produce food, they just want to have profits changing fields into green deserts (of eucalyptus, soy, sugar cane). In our state, one of the deserts that is growing most is the one of cellulose eucalyptus.
The cellulose companies are closing their factories in
One of the companies responsible for the advance of the green desert in
Initially, the Stora Enso tried to buy land in the name of the Derflin Company, the multinational arm for raw material production, that couldn't legalize the land because it was foreign company. To make its implementation possible, the multinational created a fake company that is buying lands for it: the Azenglever Ltda farming, whose owners are two important Stora Enso employees.
They became the biggest landowners in
Our action is legitimate! Stora Enso is illegal! To plant this green desert along the borderland strip is a crime against our country's law, against the "pampa biome" and against food sovereignty of our state that is loosing its lands to produce food. We are stripping out what is bad and planting what is good for the environment and for the people.
Some parliament representatives instead of fighting the foreigner invasion are proposing the reduction of the border land streak to legalize this crime. They use the argument that this
The cellulose companies promise to create jobs and development. But once they are installed the rural exodus and poverty increases. They only generate temporary works in precarious conditions and without any respect to worker's rights. An example is "Fazenda Tarumã" in Rosário do Sul, with 2,1 thousand hectares where Stora Enso only has two permanent employees and a few temporary jobs. If this area is designated to agrarian reform it will be possible to settle 100 families, creating at least 300 direct and permanent jobs. Therefore, the agrarian reform and the peasant agriculture are the best alternative to preserve the biodiversity, to generate jobs and income for the rural people and healthier and cheaper food for the urban people.
The project that has been processed in the Senate, that proposes the reduction of the Brazilian borderland strip doesn't include the
We, women of Via Campesina, are demanding from the Brazilian authorities:
- Cancellation of the illegal land purchase by Stora Enso on the borderland strip and expropriation of these lands to agrarian reform. Only in the 45 thousand hectares in the name of the fake company, Azenglever Farming, it will be possible to settle more than 2 thousand families, generating 6 thousand direct jobs. Actually 2.500 families are encamped in the
- Withdrawal of the projects of the Senate and Federal Chamber of representatives that propose the reduction of the border streak of land. This measure will only benefit companies such as Stora Enso that wants to own the lands to turn them into a green desert, to destroy our natural resources as the "Guaraní Aquifer" and the "pampa biome". For the "gauchos" people (people from Rio Grande do Sul) this reduction of the borderland strip will only bring the increase of the rural exodus, employment, environmental destruction and the end of food sovereignty because there will be no more land to produce food.
We know that we can suffer repression from the state government because we are fighting against the green desert. It's a common practice of this government to treat the social movements as criminals and to protect companies that commit crimes against society. We will resist! Our struggle is in defense of people's life and environment. We are 900 women here, but we carry with us the energy and the courage of thousands of peasant women that fight all over the world against the process of transforming natural resources into merchantable goods. As the landless comrade Roseli Nunes, cowardly assassinated in March 1987 here in
The Women of Via Campesina of
March 4th 2008
https://www.alainet.org/en/articulo/126062
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