“He has allowed families who have lived on land for decades to own the land finding it productive to have self ownership ratherr then
squatters.”
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Wrong, many of the settlers were urban dwellers with little knowledge of farming. In typical central planning mode the government tore up sugar cane field to plant corn. Of course, in the low lands used for cane growing the corn crop failed as the land was flooded.
"Agriculture sector at stake in Venezuela November 27, 2009
Growers fear that the interventions applied by the National Lands Institute (INTI) last November 16 in the states of Guárico, Zulia and Táchira, among others, will further deteriorate production
Fears of deteriorating agricultural sector
The Venezuelan government policy of "land recovery" over the past few years, far from powering domestic primary production, has resulted in disincentive and divestiture both in animal husbandry and agriculture.
Growers fear that the interventions applied by the National Lands Institute (INTI) last November 16 in the states of Guárico, Zulia and Táchira, among others, will further deteriorate production.
While public servants have claimed that the targeted farms were idle, growers' associations and owners are positive that their farms were producing at top capacity.
In addition to the regulations imposed on the agricultural sector in terms of prices and marketing, in 2009 the output has dwindled due to the worst weather conditions over the past few years.
In the case of Guárico -where nine plots of land were intervened- the farms located on the basin of River Tiznado produced in the latest sugarcane harvest, recently ended, 70 million kilograms of white and yellow corn, accounting for 30% out of 190,000 tons produced this year in that state, as reported by Carlos Albornoz, Director General of the Venezuelan National Confederation of Farmers' Association (Fedeagro).
However, this year, as a result of the drought, the local corn production fell down 75 percent, from 575,000 tons in 2008 to 190,000 tons.
Guárico state supplies 55-58 percent of the domestic corn consumption.
Local growers think that the intervention of productive lands adversely affects the development of the national production apparatus, as the premises are given to unskilled people and the site eventually becomes precisely what the State punishes: wastelands.
In Zulia state, two farms used for dual-purpose cattle breeding were intervened.
Carlos Benavides, the president of the Ranchers and Farmers' Association of Colón Municipality (Aganaco), reported that the La Milagrosa farm, property of ex Maracaibo mayor and main opposition leader Manuel Rosales, processes 1.300-1,800 liters of milk a day; 50-60 steers quarterly and about 15,000 kilograms of plantains every 15 days.
He noted that the intervention will further reduce local primary production, which has already declined 60-70 percent over the past six years.
Much more at:
http://english.eluniversal.com...r-a_27A3124491.shtml