Valmir Susin, president of the Rural Employers’ Union of Caxias do Sul, was invited by the Chamber of Industry, Commerce and Services of Caxias do Sul (CIC Caxias) to this Monday’s (3rd) RA, in the Inspiring Stories series. At the age of 82, an optimist by nature, he shared the most remarkable passages of his work in defense of family farming and the appreciation of the rural environment. He summarizes his philosophy of life with the phrase: “I always had faith and courage. I’ve never been discouraged in my life. With persistence, we solved the problems.”
Valmir Susin started working at the age of seven, helping his father cultivate the land. At age 12, he was selling fruit and vegetables to buy other food for the family. During the 10 years that his father was ill, he supported him and was responsible for paying the debts resulting from the treatment after his death. At the age of 20, when he left home to work, he began to participate in farmers’ movements and never stopped.
In the 1970s, chairing the Union of Rural Workers of Caxias do Sulplayed a decisive role in securing rights for farmers and their families, such as medical and dental care, access to social security – with the creation of the Rural Worker Assistance Fund (Funrual) – and rural electrification.
Still in the Union, he created family education courses, in which training was offered to families in the interior and periphery of Caxias do Sul. “We have only one problem to solve in Brazil: education. I still dream of bringing more knowledge to the farmer, especially to young people, to keep them in agriculture”, he pointed out.
In the following decade, friends in the political milieu convinced him to run for state deputy. Upon being elected, he also began to dedicate himself to issues related to the environment and tourism, combating fraud in wine production and social security. In the early 1990s, he founded and chaired the Rural Employer Union of Caxias do Sul.
He was also director of the Rio Grande do Sul Human Resources Development Foundation and, at the end of the 1990s, advisor to the then Minister of Agriculture, Francisco Turra. Years later, he served as Secretary of Economic Development, Employment and Income and Secretary of Agriculture of Caxias do Sul, in addition to actively participating in the National Rural Learning Service (Senar).
Susin knows the local agribusiness like few others, and even after so many years of work in the area, he maintains the same pride and respect for the sector. Caxias do Sul, as he listed, has around 5,000 horses and 39,000 head of cattle, in addition to significant turkey and quail farming and the cultivation of more than 40 varieties of fruits and vegetables. “Our products go to nine states in Brazil. We are a reference not only for Rio Grande do Sul, but for all of Brazil”, he added. “We have to take care of our agriculture, which gives us all these results. Everything comes from the earth, so we need to take care of it, ”he concluded.
inspirational leadership
When opening RA, president Celestino Oscar Loro emphasized the importance of leadership exercised by Valmir Susin in entities such as Sindirural and in CIC Caxias itself. Loro said that Susin always has a positive point of view, even in the face of contexts that are often troubled. “Saying that he is an inspiration is too little for how much Valmir Susin represents for younger generations and for leaders who seek to make a difference in the world we live in”, highlighted the president of CIC Caxias.
RA CIC’s Inspiring Stories series has already presented the trajectories of José Antônio Fernandes Martins, Jorge Gerdau, João Francescutti and Clóvis Tramontina.
