Yaracuy consolidates 552 peasant councils to democratize agricultural production

Published at: 17/03/2026 05:25 PM

The state of Yaracuy has consolidated a network of 552 peasant councils in the 14 municipalities of the entity, aimed at democratizing the control of agricultural production, reaffirmed this Tuesday, March 17, the regional director of the Ministry of Productive Agriculture and Lands (MAPT), Juan Torrealba.

He recalled that each peasant council has 3 main spokespersons and 3 alternate spokespersons, so that the 552 groups add up to 3,312 throughout the state, in addition to the 84 municipal representatives and the 6 state representatives that already make up the National Peasant Assembly, he reported on his Última Noticias portal.

Torrealba reported that this process is not only electoral, but a strategy to return the leading role to the field producer, allowing him to have a decisive voice in national decisions.

He explained that the organizational structure is based on the election of three main spokespersons and three alternate spokespersons for each council, who must be specialized in three fundamental areas: organization and training, productive economy and territorial defense.

He also stressed that, in order to guarantee the authenticity of the movement, it was established as an indispensable requirement that spokespersons be active producers and not hold elected positions such as councilors or deputies.

“We are not improvising leaders, nor are they circumstantial leaders, but real peasants who know the reality of their land, the furrow and the seed,” he said.

On the other hand, he mentioned that of the 19 categories that participated in the recent meetings, Yaracuy managed to position two national spokespersons: one in the citrus sector and the other in sugar cane.

“This methodology allows the affected parties themselves to discuss final costs and prices. A recent example was the negotiation of the price of rice, where the main voice was the national spokesperson for the sector, a model that will be replicated with coffee, corn and the rest of the crops,” said Torrealba.

He assured that the sugar sector will be key to the local economy, thanks to the recent start of refining in Central Santa Clara, after which the rescue of sugarcane lands on the Veroes-Bruzual axis, “which were abandoned due to the economic situation”, is expected.

In the same way, he stressed that the Comprehensive Plan for Agricultural Renewal (PIRA) will seek to replace harmful practices such as burning and felling with environmental conservation techniques.

Regarding funding, Torrealba pointed out that the plan is to resume massive credits through the Ministry's Scientific Peasant Alliance, a program with which 380 small producers were served in Yaracuy in 2025 to cover more than 600 hectares. For this year, it is expected to expand coverage and finance more than 2,000 hectares.

Mazo News Team