On Tuesday, March 10, the Tenth Congress of the National Confederation of Rural Workers of Brazil (CONTAG) opened with an attendance of 3,150 delegates from 27 Federations representing family farmers from across the country.

Also present were the Ministers of Sustainable Agricultural Development, Social Security, and the Environment, as well as several congresspersons and senators of various political parties.

The presidents of the labor federations CUT and CTB participated in the ceremony along with other social organizations and local and international trade union delegations, including the Argentinean Union of Rural Workers and Stevedores (UATRE), represented by its assistant secretary Heriberto Francisco Serrizuela, and Luisa Mele and Rosa del Carmen Díaz; Uruguay’s Union of Rural and Related Industry Workers from the South of the Country (UTRASURPA), represented by Germán González; and the IUF, with the presence of Barbro Budin, of the General Secretary’s Office in Geneva, and Gerardo Iglesias, Regional Secretary for Latin America.

After the staging of a symbolic representation of the wealth and variety of products of the land, there were several stimulating presentations, generating moments of deep reflection and also great enthusiasm that was expected to fuel discussions throughout the rest of the Congress.

Discussions will continue through Saturday, March 14, when the new authorities of CONTAG will be elected before the closing ceremony.

CONTAG is the world’s largest trade union of rural workers. It was founded on December 22, 1963 in Rio de Janeiro. Initially formed by 14 federations and 475 trade unions of rural workers, today it groups 27 federations with a total membership of 4,000 trade unions and 20 million rural workers.