Renowned economist Jayati Ghosh has said monopoly over land and water is hampering food production thereby endangering food security at a time when feeding the billion-plus population is increasingly becoming difficult.
‘Concentration of land’ in the hands of a few rich individuals and the corporate sector and utilisation of the agricultural land for other purposes like real estate became major problems. One effective solution will be to reclaim lands and distribute them among the poor. It may be remembered that former President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, had taken back 15 per cent of the land and gave it to the poor, she has observed.
Addressing the 26th annual conference of Andhra Pradesh Vyavasaya Karmika Sangham (APVKS) at Sri Venkateswara Vignana Mandiram here on Monday, Ms. Ghosh said water had become a commodity being traded freely in many parts of the country.
Water is being wasted on a large scale, said the economist.
