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A Legal Battle That Could Shake the Foundations of Brazilian Agribusiness: USP Professor Launches Surprising Lawsuit That Threatens to Halt Operations of Major Companies Like Raízen, BP Bunge Bioenergia, BrasilAgro, Among Others.
But the impact of this measure could be even deeper than imagined, potentially putting more than 100 thousand jobs at risk across the country. What is at stake here is much more than legal issues – it’s the future of a significant part of the national economy.
According to the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, Rodrigo Monteferrante Ricupero, a professor at the Department of History at USP, initiated a series of popular actions against these giants of the sugar-energy and agroindustrial sector, claiming that the companies in question did not follow the necessary regulations for the acquisition and use of rural land by companies with foreign participation.
According to Ricupero, these operations should have been submitted for analysis by the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra) or the National Congress, as mandated by law. He requests, among other things, the suspension of already established business transactions.
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The Economic and Social Impact
These companies represent a colossal workforce in Brazil. Raízen, for example, is responsible for over 40 thousand jobs. The BP Bunge Bioenergia, born from the merger between BP and Bunge, employs around 13 thousand people directly and indirectly.
The Bracell, a giant in pulp production, maintains 25 thousand workers, with 11 thousand in direct jobs. SLC Agrícola and BrasilAgro together also employ over 30 thousand collaborators. The shutdown of these operations could trigger a devastating domino effect, impacting thousands of families and communities across the country.
The Legal Actions in Detail
So far, four of Ricupero’s lawsuits are in the Federal Court of São Paulo, primarily targeting BP Bunge Bioenergia, Bracell, BrasilAgro, and Raízen. A fifth action was filed in Rio Grande do Sul, aiming at SLC Agrícola. In one of the actions, federal judge Paulo Cezar Neves Junior has already ordered Incra and the Union to respond within 15 days.
If the USP professor’s request is accepted, he could practically halt the operations of these companies, suspending the actions of foreign administrators and the distribution of dividends to shareholders outside the country.
USP Professor and His Argument of National Sovereignty
According to Noirma Murad, the lawyer representing Ricupero, the case is a matter of national sovereignty. “No one is against foreigners, but the law needs to be followed,” she stated in an interview.
The USP professor’s concern is rooted in the need to protect the control of Brazilian lands, an issue that has been intensely debated since the legal understanding changed in 2010, which limited the purchase and leasing of land by foreign companies.
Ricupero is no stranger to the courts. According to records, he is involved in over 750 lawsuits, many of which involve municipalities and prominent politicians like Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Aloizio Mercadante.
His recent popular actions reflect the growing pressure for the strict enforcement of the law regulating the ownership and use of rural lands in Brazil, especially in a scenario where foreign influence continues to grow.
The Future of Agricultural Giants’ Operations
Raízen, BP Bunge Bioenergia, Bracell, BrasilAgro, and SLC Agrícola are not just pillars of the agricultural and sugar-energy sector, but also economic engines sustaining tens of thousands of jobs and significantly contributing to the country’s economy.
The interruption of their activities due to the legal dispute suggested by the USP professor could have alarming consequences. So far, the companies have remained silent or stated that they operate within the law, awaiting legal developments to determine their next steps.
Reportagem estranha. Por que foi necessario.entrar na justiça para que o problema fosse reconhecido? Os empregos não estão ameaçados. O que esta ameaçada é a soberania nacional. Em nenhum outro pais sério do mundo empresas estrangeiras controlam a produção agricola de maneira tão forte.
Nosso agro é incompetente no sentido de manter o controle financeiro do negócio,
Nossos fazendeiros entregaram suas terras por valores altos, mas há uma obrigação social em possuir terras. É preciso estar atento às necessidades do pais, seus cidadãos. As empresas estrangeiras tem o objetivo apenas de explorar os recursos e precisam respeitar a soberania nacional. O poder econômico não pode deter sozinho a capacidade agricola. A monocultura não mata a fome dos brasileiros. É esse o grande problema que o brasil precisa resolver. Nossos cidadãos precisam produzir comida, gerar empregos e tecnologias que garantam o sustento de todos os brasileiros e não apenas parte tornando alguns, milhonários e outros condenados a miséria. 108 mil empregos não justificam a fome de milhões.