VHeadline News Editor Patrick J. O'Donoghue reports: The National lands Institute (INTI) has sent a commission from Caracas to inspect farms belonging to exiled Mayor of Maracaibo and former Zulia state Governor, Manuel Rosales.

Accompanied by officers from the State Political & Security (Disip) Police and farming cooperatives from Maracaibo Lake South, the commission inspected Rosales' Monte Verde farm. After the inspection, a notice was put up confirming that the lands would be rescued and handed to the government Zamorian farm project consisting of peasant cooperatives.

The commission inspected other landed properties belonging to Rosales, such as the La Milagrosa farm and others, which are also located south of Lake Maracaibo. According to sources, the other farms were legally in the hands of front men and before the commission left army pickets were placed on the farms to avoid any sabotage or conflicts.

Although commission members refused to make any public statement until a report had been drawn up, it has been learned that they have spoken to local farming cooperatives about the possibility of handing over a number of plots on the property for production.

It would appear that INTI has declared the lands as "abandoned" by Rosales, who has been granted political asylum in Peru. The government considers Rosales, who had been considered leader of Venezuela's opposition, a "fugitive" pending charges for corruption while in office.

Zamorian farms are mostly based on a cooperative system of local peasants aided by government organizations providing credit, machinery and know-how.

However, the government's agricultural policy has been widened to include different forms of organization, such as Socialist enterprises and direct administration by government bodies. Observers confirm that the policy has boosted domestic production, despite numerous organizational and technical problems.

Patrick J. O'Donoghue
news.editor@vheadline.com