In his speech, President Lula highlighted the importance of the Movement's political participation, the advances in agrarian reform, and a firm stance by Brazil on the international stage.
The 14th National Meeting of the Landless Rural Workers' Movement (MST) concluded this Friday (January 23), in Salvador (BA), with the presence of the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). The governor of Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues, ministers of state, and parliamentarians also participated in the event.
Received by children from the Landless Children's Movement, Lula entered the plenary session to applause from the more than 3,000 militants present. After five days of debates and the reading of the final letter of the meeting, national leader Débora Nunes spoke on behalf of the movement, reaffirming People’s Agrarian Reform (RAP) as a central strategy for strengthening democracy, food sovereignty, and social justice in the country.
In an emphatic speech, Débora highlighted that the agricultural project defended by the MST has the "beautiful task" of producing healthy food while simultaneously preserving the common goods of nature through agroecology.
The leader also warned of the impacts of the advance of capital in rural areas and criticized the agribusiness model, which, according to her, imposes irreversible destruction on nature. The climate crisis, she stressed, already affects both rural and urban areas, with irregular rainfall compromising planting and high temperatures worsening urban life.
Débora also denounced the illness of the population caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides, which contaminate the soil, groundwater, and food.
Technology, agroindustry, and education in rural areas
To face these challenges, the leader advocated for public policies articulated with a social and environmental project. Among the priorities, she highlighted mechanization, access to credit, agro-industrialization, and education in rural areas. “We need to overcome the reality in which only 3% of farmers in the Northeast have access to mechanization, offering alternatives to young people beyond the hoe. It is fundamental to build agro-industries that add value to production, guarantee income, and prevent the country from becoming hostage to groups that prioritize exports and drive up food prices,” she stated.
Débora also advocated for strengthening Pronera (National Program for Rural Education), as a way to confront historical illiteracy and digital illiteracy, the latter, according to her, frequently instrumentalized by ‘fascist actions’ and the dissemination of ‘fake news’.
Political Commitment and the Fight Against Violence
Débora did not spare criticism of the “fascist far-right” that occupies the National Congress, accusing it of hijacking the public budget and perpetrating violence against society. She also reaffirmed the commitment of the more than 3,000 delegates present—more than 60% women—to defend the Lula government and work for his re-election in 2026, in addition to building a legislature committed to popular interests.
Finally, the leader reinforced the urgency of combating all forms of violence, such as racism, LGBTphobia, sexism, and femicide, highlighting that the advancement of these issues is the “oxygen” of future struggles. “President Lula, we are together. You can be bold, because we will be together in the necessary battles,” she affirmed, reiterating the MST's international solidarity with the peoples of Africa, Palestine, Cuba, and Venezuela.
Lula calls on the MST to political action and defends sovereignty and peace
In his speech, President Lula highlighted the importance of the Movement's political participation, the advances in agrarian reform, and a firm stance by Brazil on the international stage. “The MST should be proud of what it produces and occupy decision-making spaces to guarantee the continuity of the rights of the working class,” he said.
Lula celebrated the Movement's decision to launch candidacies in the next elections and warned that political inaction opens space for sectors that do not defend the interests of the people. “The misfortune of those who don't like politics is that they are governed by those who do,” he said, criticizing the hegemony of the ‘rural caucus’ in Congress. The president also praised the renewal of the MST's leadership and the significant female participation in the meeting, which comprises more than 60% of the delegation present.
The president also announced measures to restructure Incra (National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform) and accelerate the allocation of land for settlements, recalling that the lack of structure found in 2023 has begun to be overcome with new hiring and investments. Still within the context of the Agrarian Reform portfolio, prior to the President's speech, Minister Paulo Teixeira had already presented an overview of the ministry's actions and announced that, by April, all areas promised for agrarian reform would be delivered. Between expropriations, judicial agreements, and the creation of new settlements, areas were announced in several states, totaling thousands of hectares and benefiting thousands of landless families.
In addition, among the concrete actions, Lula mentioned the distribution of 300,000 embryos to improve the dairy cattle of small producers, the financing of agro-industries — such as powdered milk factories — and the role of public banks. “Banco do Brasil and Caixa have returned to being at the service of the working people,” he emphasized.
Lula also presented positive economic indicators, such as GDP growth above 3%, falling inflation, and the lowest unemployment rate in recent history.
National Sovereignty, Peace, and the Fight Against Violence
In the international arena, the president defended multilateralism and criticized the "law of the strongest" to the detriment of the United Nations Charter. He reaffirmed that Brazil seeks balanced relations with different powers, without accepting any form of subordination. "We don't have weapons, but we have character and dignity," he declared, reiterating the country's commitment to peace and the fight against hunger and poverty.
One of the most forceful moments of the speech was the appeal to confront femicide and domestic violence. "A man who beats a woman is not a man," Lula stated, saying he did not want the political support of aggressors.
Looking to the future, Lula classified 2026 as the "year of truth" and promised to intensify the fight against fake news. "If it depends on me, you can be sure that we will do much more," he concluded, thanking the historical resistance of the MST (Landless Workers' Movement).
