Mayela Salas Saénz, the Deputy of the 14th District of Uruapan Norte, stated in the presentation of an initiative to modify the Law of Integral Sustainable Rural Development of Michoacan that only one thousand of the eight thousand avocado orchards that are registered in Michoacan comply with the adequate land use, environmental permits, and all the requirements to be legal.
“It's essential to coordinate efforts to protect the natural environment of our state. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Michoacan and the State Forestry Commission must work together so that the resources provided by the Government, in support of producers, are not used for agricultural activities in areas that are meant for the recovery of our forests,” she stated.
“Currently, the legislation does not oblige SADER to coordinate with COFOM to avoid giving public resources to people or companies that plunder and consume our forests because, despite having implemented measures for the rescue of forests, we are not making sure that all inputs, accessories, and machinery are not illegally being used to change land use.”
The congresswoman stressed that the beneficiaries of the programs and actions implemented by the Secretariat must be located outside deforested areas or those places that favor the change of land use of forest lands. To this end, the Secretariat shall consult with COFOM on the situation of the properties of the applicant (s), in such a way that, with this coordination, providing any type of support, stimulus, or similar to people who have agricultural lands partially or totally on the land of a forestry nature, and who can promote the change of land use, is totally banned.
Source: congresomich.gob.mx