Land War Stirs in Venezuela's Farming Heartland***In Barinas in the rolling Los Llanos plains, ranchers say they are fighting against the political tide. The president was born there and his father is state governor.
They say at least 94 farms have been invaded by squatters, some with quasi-legal documents from the government; others with no paperwork. At three farms visited by Reuters, rural workers on the land had no deeds from the state or said they were waiting for one.
At Hato Viejo, farm administrators say peasants have forced them to abandon some pasture land and have starved cattle to death. But peasant cooperative leaders deny they are to blame and counter they have been threatened. ***