[News] Venezuela’s Land Institute - lands for redistribution

[News at freedomarchives.org]

http://vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=27327
Published: Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Bylined to: <mailto:editors at venezuelanalysis.com>Jonah Gindin

Venezuela's Land Institute (INTI) recovers common lands for redistribution

Venezuelanalysis.com Jonah Gindin writes: Venezuela's National Land 
Institute announced the impending redistribution of five ranches on 
Saturday, in a controversial settlement dealing with both private and 
public land.

The five ranches are, El Carcote, Pinero, Coco, Borges, and Hacienda Sanz. 
This could mean the redistribution of private land titles for the first 
time since the land reform law was passed in November, 2001.

The El Charcote ranch is owned by the British meat-producer Lord Vestey, 
through its local subsidiary Agroflora. In January this year, State 
Governor Jhonny Yanez ordered the National Guard (GN) and state police to 
'intervene' the property to prevent disputes between ranchers and occupying 
peasants from getting violent.

A group of farmers have been occupying a portion of the land for the past 
four years.

Critics have accused the government of failing to respect private property 
rights. The Land Law, passed in 2001, was one of the Venezuelan 
government's most controversial measures since President Hugo Chavez' 
election in 1998. A general strike in 2001, led by Venezuela's principal 
Chamber of Commerce (Fedecamaras) and the traditional labor federation, the 
Confederation of Venezuelan Workers (CTV), cited the land reform law as one 
of their primary grievances.
    * According to the Land Law, only underutilized or idle land is subject 
to expropriation. So far the reform has focused on public land, giving 
private land owners a grace period to put their land to use.

In the event that private land-owners fail to make their land productive, 
the law states that high-quality private land over 100 hectares (roughly 
250 acres) or low-quality land over 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres) can be 
expropriated -- with the government compensating the owners at market price.

On January 10, 2005, President Chavez launched a new campaign to speed up 
the land reform. Since the land reform was passed in 2001, 2.2 million 
hectares (4,940,000 acres) publicly held land has been re-distributed. 
Under the new campaign, the "war against the landed estates 
[latifundistas]," underutilized private property will also be targeted.

But according to the National Land Institute (INTI), much of the land on 
the five ranches in question is not private. INTI president Eliecer Otaiza 
has affirmed that all five ranch-owners have failed to provide adequate 
documentation proving their land title. Those portions of their properties 
for which they do not have proper documentation will by default be declared 
public and will be subject to redistribution.

Whatever property the owners can prove title to, will be subject to taxes, 
according to its use.

In a communique released on Saturday, INTI declared the Pinero ranch "a 
landed estate [latifundio], according to the parameters of the law." The 
statement continued, noting that the Pinero ranch was unable to provide 
adequate documentation proving ownership, concluding that "this property is 
not private."

In their report on the land in question, INTI announced, "the first 
revolutionary decision of the directorate was with respect to the Pinero 
ranch." The "presumed owners" of the ranch, according to INTI, were unable 
to provide documented proof of ownership, supporting INTI's claims that 
80-90% of the 80,212 hectares (198,000 acres) of Pinero ranch, is in fact 
public land.

Otaiza said the recovered land would be distributed to cooperatives and 
small farmers.

INTI's investigations with respect to the other four ranches revealed that 
portions of land claimed by El Charcote, Coco, Borges, and hacienda Sanz 
were in fact public. Another roughly 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) are 
expected to be recovered from these ranches.

Casualties

Since 2001, Venezuela's land-reform has repeatedly run up against the 
apparent mutability of land title. Initially distributing only 
underutilized public lands for cultivation by cooperatives and individual 
families, many small farmers given title to land were subsequently driven 
off by paramilitaries and gunmen. Neighboring latifundistas -- large land 
owners -- claim title to the land (often with no legal basis) and have been 
accused of hiring armed thugs to intimidate would-be settlers.

In many instances activists and community leaders associated with the land 
reform have been murdered. Reports vary as to the number of activists 
killed since 2001, ranging anywhere from 100 to over 200.


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