Barranquita Resists
The population of the district of Barranquita, province of Lamas, region of San Martin, has been since 2006, living enormous problems with the privately owned companies linked to the Romero group, the same ones who sheltered under the law of investment promotion N. 653 and the law that declares the oil palm of national interest, the year 2000, have requested the adjudication of lands to the State.
The territories that are requested by the above mentioned companies of the Romero group which are Agropecuaria del Shanusi, Agrícola del Caynarachi and Palma del Espino, belong to Permanent Production Forests, according to Ministerial Resolution of the year 2002, and according to the Ecological Economic Zoning of the region, they are forests of wooded production and, it´s obvious to the residents of the area because they have been preserving the primary forest, even in their own parcels, because of the immense wealth of its flora, fauna, hydro resources and, by the environmental policy implemented in the district and the region.
In mid 2006 the state allots almost 7000 hectares., on 17,50 new soles the hectare, to the Agroexportadora del Shanusi company, “today known as Agropecuaria del Shanusi”, according to the national map in the Loreto region, but according to the referential limits of the Geophysical National Institute, these territories are in the San Martin region. All this area has practically been deforested to implement the monoculture of the oil palm. On August 5th of the present year, a situation of confrontation between residents of the Sector Nueva Italia and the workers of the company occurred. The company alleged that those spaces were in their territories but they didn´t allow the verification of the area points of their land. They have pillaged crops and housing of some of the sector owners, besides to mistreating and stopping some, taking shelter under the new law of citizen arrest. One of the farmers went to jail for a month and is still with an order of restricted appearance.
In March of 2007, the State allots to the Agricola del Caynarachi Company, 3000 hectares, on 150.00 new soles the hectare. In those territories there are some land owners that have been ignored by the ocular inspection of the ex- PETT, the primary forests considered Forests of Permanent Production, it has been intended to change its nomenclature in order to give it the use of the harvesting of oil palm. This project has been declared of regional interest with a simple letter from the ex- Regional President, there was no Environmental Impact Study that the norm demanded. The Economic Ecological Zoning of the region that has been in effect since 2006 was not respected. The population of Barranquita demanded the entitlement of the property and that the allotted area with the purchase-sale contract doesn’t proceed, according to Resolution N. 255.AG.2007. The commitment was assumed by the then Minister of Agriculture, the Regional president of San Martin and other national and regional civil employees. As of to date, most farmers of the area in conflict do not receive their respective titles; in addition, the COFOPRI technicians refused to limit the land that was within the 3000 hectares.
Meanwhile the company, dared to construct a float trail that crosses all the land denominated Palms of the East, to extract not metallic metal of the Lorocache hill, to deflect watercourse from ravines and to cure some water slopes whose origin was in the Lorocache hill, in order to take control of an immense lake denominated Cocha Muerta on which a sign has been placed that reads Private Property, all this without the lawful authorization of the corresponding sectors. The abundant wood extraction is added to this.
In March of 2008 the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture signed the contract of purchase-sale and with it much bigger problems were generated. The district´s Municipality requested to the Ministry of Agriculture the Invalidity of the Resolution N. 255.AG.2007, which was denied. It requested, in May 2008, at the Judicial Power a Sheltering action, which as of to date has not been solved. In May 2009, it requested for a Prevention Measure that was granted at the end of May and revoked by the Second Decentralized Mixed Room of San Martin in the middle of November. With this resolution the company has initiated the preparation of the terrain for the planting of the oil palm. Hundreds of workers are working with power saws, machetes, axes, tractors, helicopters flying over the area and the security personnel guarding the area.
The farmers of the area are indignant and it’s feared that this could end up in a confrontation with serious consequences.
And, furthermore added to all this, the request of the company Palma del Espino, also of the Romero group, near 7000 hectares adjacent to the 3000 hectares, where there are hundreds of land owners who are waiting for their title of property since 2007 and which is denied for the simple fact that they have little worked space and maintain much of the primary forest, and because the company has requested the area.
In times where there is a world-wide environmental emergency and where all the governments bet for the preservation of the forests, the Primary Forests of the district of Barranquita, of the few that are left in the region, are being pillaged before the indifference of many and the pain and the wrath of the residents of Barranquita.
