This Wednesday, September 21, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cecilia López, announced that the agrarian reform that will take place in the Government begins with the titling of 681,372 hectares of land and that will benefit peasants, indigenous people and Afro-descendants.
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“This announcement is the result of a great effort made by the Ministry and its agencies to streamline the process. The massive titling of properties is a reflection of the Government’s commitment to agrarian reform and compliance with the Peace Agreement”, the minister pointed out.
In this first phase, according to Minagricultura, the property titles of the properties formalized in 19 departments, with an area equivalent to four times the extension of Bogotá.
Gerardo Vega, director of the National Land Agency (ANT), indicated that “we will be in the departments delivering the titles. We hope that with this a message of calm will be given to those who aspire to access and formalize land.”.
According to the director of the ANT, “here it cannot be neither with private organizations for the protection of private property, nor invasions, nor occupations. Everything will be done through the institutional channel led by President Gustavo Petro and Minister Cecilia López“.
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The Ministry confirmed that the titles that were issued during September will be delivered to the beneficiaries from this September 21 and until next November 15.
Petro’s government assumed power on August 7 with the promise of carrying out an ‘agrarian reform’ in the face of the high concentration of rural property. And it is that access to land has been at the center of the armed conflict that broke out in the mid-20th century in Colombia.
La Minagricultura, Cecilia López Montaño (center), the director of the National Land Agency, Gerardo Vega (right), and the president of the Rural Development Agency, Diego Bautista (left).
Petro’s promise motivated the ‘landless’ to forcefully occupy land. Given this, Minister López asked patience to the complainants who have already collided with ranchers.
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“The clear message is: we are beginning to fulfill what was promised, do not take away space from this process by occupying or invading land.Lopez emphasized.
Vega intends that during the four years of this Government some 10 million hectares to communities in need, as agreed in the peace agreement with the guerrilla of the extinct FARC guerrilla (2016).
The government will use the properties seized from drug traffickers to fulfill that purpose.
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According to official data, 39.6 of the 114 million hectares of Colombia are arable, although currently only 12% (5.3 million) are being exploited.
PORTFOLIO AND AFP
