برخورد محمدرضاشاه با اقشار مردم

To ensure the success of land consolidation, the government entbar ked upon a scheme to assess the agricultural potential of the best lands. Under a Bill passed in June 1976, the best regions were divided up into a series of "poles" (in an initial stage twenty were identified). All farm within these poles are to be combined into units of 20 hectares and moce the minamum comidered viable for modern farming in Iran. If the law is strictly observed, farmers who refuse to cooperate will have their land compulsorily purchased. However, before this stage is reached the government has to have completed detailed studies on theme
poles. In 1977 consultancy contracts had only begun to be let. The combined effect of these measures has created a good deal of uncertainty about the direction of agriculture
and government policy.
towards it. This has been reflected in poor growth figures. Prior to 1973 production was officially said to have an annual growth of 3 per cent and to be now running et 6 per cent in fact a 2 per cent growth rate is more realistic. 39 Against this, consumption of foodstuffs is increasing at 12 per cent a year. 40
Ironically the introduction of land reform coincided with the beginning of a sharp decline in agriculture's overali importance in the economy. Some claim that the Shah deliberately sacrificed agriculture in order to concentrate on building up an industrial base. In the period 1959 to 1972 agriculture received a mere 8 per cent of investment against 22 per cent for mdustry But this is a distortion. What happened was that, with the government's energy devoted to industrial- isation, it lacked the will to follow through at a grassroots leve

Robert Graham