Venezuelan gov't recovers 1.11 million hectares of land in 21 months

Venezuela's National Lands Institute (INTI) policy in 2012 has mainly focused on recovering lands suitable for agriculture. From 2011 through September 2012, the institute has taken steps to recover some 1.11 million hectares of large estates, the Ministry of Agriculture and Land (MAT) informed.

Thus, land recovery jumped 206% compared to 2010, when INTI recovered 364,518 hectares, MAT said.

According to MAT's yearly report, in 2011 the institute recovered 214,726 hectares on 174 production units. In other words, INTI recovered some 899,049 hectares of land from January-September, 2012 in Venezuela.

The so-called fight against large estates has allowed the Venezuelan State to gain four million hectares of land since 2004.

This year, INTI aims at regulating tenancy and use of lands by farmers in the socialist agricultural axes of the territory. Thus, over the last 21 months, INTI has regulated tenancy of some 1.67 million hectares of land, 135% above the figures recorded in 2010 (710,503 hectares).

Within the framework of the 2013-2019 Socialist Development Plan, the Venezuelan Government has provided USD 5.07 million for the recovery of lands and consolidation of the socialist agriculture plan in 2013. Thus, it expects to seize another 397,000 hectares next year.

Translated by Jhean Cabrera