A bill fast-tracked by the São Paulo state government may soon hand over more than 720,000 hectares of public land to agribusiness, with discounts of up to 90%. Critics argue the initiative undermines land reform efforts and legitimizes irregular occupation of public land.
Bill 410/2025, submitted by Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, a far-right ally of former president Jair Bolsonaro, seeks to alter three key land regularization laws. The legislation is on the fast track at the State Assembly of São Paulo (Alesp) and may be voted this Tuesday (27).
According to opposition lawmakers and social movements, the bill could dismantle the existing framework of agrarian reform and land redistribution. It targets a historically contested region: Pontal do Paranapanema, one of the state’s most deforested areas.
Public lands sold for a fraction of their value
The bill allows the sale of publicly owned, unallocated land at prices up to 90% below market value. While the land’s total value is estimated at about US$ 1.8 billion, the government expects to raise only about US$ 360 million, an average discount of 80%. The move would result in a public asset loss of around US$ 1.4 billion, compared to what the state would receive under older legislation.
Donato, a Workers’ Party state legislator, says the bill’s fast-track status is part of a broader tactic to bypass public scrutiny. “This has become standard under Tarcísio’s administration,” he told BdF. “They use urgency procedures to avoid public debate.”
Bill facilitates land grabbing, reduces environmental protections
In practice, the bill would legalize large rural estates established on public land without formal authorization, benefiting landowners and political allies of the current administration. The proposal eliminates environmental requirements and simplifies the process for large landholders. “These are public assets being handed over to political donors and allies,” said Gilmar Mauro, national leader of Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement (MST). “This is nothing short of legalizing land grabbing.”
The bill would allow land titles to be issued even without proof of productive use or environmental compliance. It would also authorize large estates over 2,500 hectares to be legalized by splitting ownership claims among individuals, bypassing constitutional limits on land sales.
Agribusiness gains, land reform loses
One of the most controversial elements is the exclusion of environmental licensing requirements. Under current rules, land recipients must submit an environmental compliance plan within 120 days. Bill 410 removes that condition and allows private companies to conduct land surveys instead of state agencies. “This is land grabbing on top of land grabbing,” said Mauro. “Instead of handing land to agribusiness, the state could create a reforestation and agroecology plan to restore 500,000 hectares and promote cooperative settlements.”
The state’s Land Institute (Itesp) has yet to release any public reports on the law’s impact, even after freedom of information requests. It remains unclear how many areas were regularized under the 2022 land privatization program or who benefitted from the scheme. “The state should prioritize land access and food security, not privatization,” said Donato. “This bill sets agrarian reform back decades.”
Political ties and legal backlash
Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, a former Bolsonaro minister, has openly aligned himself with the agribusiness sector. In 2023, he attended a land title ceremony in Presidente Prudente (SP), where seven of the ten first recipients received discounts of up to 90%. Many were campaign donors or had political connections.
Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court is reviewing the legality of the 2022 land privatization law, which serves as the foundation for the new bill. The Workers’ Party filed a constitutional challenge (ADI 7.326), which remains pending under Justice Cármen Lúcia. Both the Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Solicitor have supported its unconstitutionality.
Meanwhile, Guilherme Piai, the current Agriculture Secretary and former director of Itesp, was recorded advising landowners to submit requests “while the law is still in effect.”
