No fewer than 2,000 small-holding farmers occupied the Brazilian Finance Ministry on Tuesday protesting against planned budget cut worth $23.3 billion dollars.

The protesters, under the aegis of National Federation of Family Farm Workers, arrived at the ministry and broke windows and doors to get inside.

The Finance Minister Joaquim Levy negotiated with protesters for almost half an hour and presented their case to Marcos Rochinski, Coordinator for their federation, to explain the planned cuts.

“The Brazilian Government has institutional channels to respond to demands and we are willing to talk”, Levy said.

Rochinski said the protesters want to protect resources that support smallholders and promote agrarian reform from the budget cuts.

“It is unfair to punish precisely the sector that produces food for Brazilian people”, Rochinski said.