The tenants right to land was heralded as the biggest reform that would usher in agrarian revolution. Comunidade institution was almost ruined. The rent was abolished. Govt took over the administration of Comunidades and thus destroyed the institution.
Large tracts were kept fallow. Cultivation has come to a grinding halt due to escalating labour costs, lack of labour and inputs.The menace of stray cattle has aggravated the situation. The only cheap land avaiable are fields. Government has acquired land merrily for all social purposes like roads , railways housing, industries grounds, markets etc. The permission for subletting fields has not taken off the ground as yet.
The mechanised farming, subsidies, buy back facility does address the labour costs, but labour intensive field cultivation is not attractive still, coupled with vagaries of nature and crop insurance is not a beneficial option loaded against farmers interests
The land conversion mafia is making hay while sun shines. The Govt went a step further to allow tenants to buy fields at dirt cheap rates. Such transfers have strict provisions against conversions. But owners are converting it into orchards and illegal habitats with an eye on converting them to settlement zones too, but it is against the spirit and clauses of purchase. The Govt must stop fields being turned into orchard land. Fields are also natural barriers against flooding. Will the Govt ensure that tenants who bought comunidade fields are cultivating them and if kept fallow should revert the same to the comunidades?
