The government of President Pedro Castillo on Sunday launched a “second agrarian reform” in Peru, a national policy to develop agriculture through technology, technical advice and communication channels that has caused great expectations and fears in the country.
During his speech, Castillo reiterated his intention to promote a new constitution, provoking criticism from sectors of the opposition, who saw in the statements of the president and his allies a possible threat of a clash with the Legislative Power.
“I want to make it very clear that this second agrarian reform does not seek to expropriate land or take away anyone’s property rights,” Castillo said on Sunday, before saying his government plans to put the state at the service of farmers “relegated for decades, government after government”.
Although the government insisted on the technical nature of state policy, this did not prevent resentment among the ruling class because of its links with the agrarian reform that took place during the military government of Juan Velasco Alvarado (1968-1973).
The Castillo government’s decision to launch the new policy on October 3, the same date Velasco staged a coup d’état against constitutional president Fernando Belaunde in 1968, contributed to this impression.
The nationalist implemented an agrarian reform 53 years ago that to this day divides Peruvians among those who point out that it has put an end to the abuses suffered by peasants and rural workers in the countryside, while others consider that it has delayed the development of agriculture and condemn the fact that that he expropriated large landowners.
“Today we are going to promote the rights and development of farmers. The first reform was a process of structural change, which was also part of a long struggle for the people, but since then the peasants have once again been neglected,” Castillo declared.
“Our country is finally standing up to put an end to the exploitation and inequality that sustain agriculture. There are more than 2 million small producers who are the children of this process and this change,” he added.
new constitution
Castillo stressed that there are no plans to change the direction of his leftist government. “Here there is no centrism, here we do not have to ‘turn to the right’, here the people command, here there is a government elected by farmers,” he declared to the crowd of rural producers who were following the act.
The president then reinforced his commitment to drafting a new constitution. “Dear compatriots, that’s why I ratify that, just as on the 28th of July we swore by that new Constitution, today who is responsible for doing it then?”, he questioned.
During the event, Chief of Staff Guido Bellido delivered an energetic speech that was interpreted by opposition members as a threat to close Congress if the agrarian reform law is not passed.
“If Congress doesn’t approve it, let the congressmen leave and the population elect other parliamentarians”, provoked Bellido.
At another point in the speech, Bellido said that it is the right-wing opponents who do not want the president to proceed with his plan for a new constitution, and asked the audience: “Brothers who work the land, what do you want?” followed by the answer “a new constitution”.
After the speech, Congresswoman Norma Yarrow, of the right-wing Avanza País party, guaranteed that Castillo’s statements on Sunday are “a declaration open to confrontation” to the Legislative Branch, as reported by the Peruvian newspaper la republic.
“Of course what [o presidente] showed the country is that it definitely intends to close the Congress, convene the constituent assembly,” said the parliamentarian in an interview on local radio.
First measures of agrarian reform
The first measure of the new policy will be the creation of an agrarian and rural development office, which will be chaired by Castillo himself and which will be composed of “productive ministries” and with the participation of regional and local governments.
“This cabinet will design and promote rural and agrarian development policies for our country. In the coming weeks we will make corrections in the price range,” announced the head of government, who promised that during his term a factory for phosphate-based fertilizers will be built .
Reforms will also be proposed to give farmers “fairer access to markets, with better prices”, an “ambitious” public procurement program for family farming. Farmers’ markets will be built in all of the country’s provinces, and what Castillo defined as “an ambitious seeding and water harvesting program” will be created.
The Peruvian president said that there would also be a structural change in agriculture, with more associativity, infrastructure and development, tax benefits for peasant and native communities, improvements in road infrastructure, development of business plans and entrepreneurship, as well as rural electrification and connectivity.
Castillo also promised that a fund for rural women will be created, which will make it possible to implement technical, business and social support programs. “The second agrarian reform also has a woman’s face,” he stressed.