Dr. ASAD MOHAMMED ...
the Minister of Agriculture
was least in the Cabinet.

NORRIS DEONARINE ...
calls for a new Minister
of Agriculture.

POLITICIANS of the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) came under attack at the seminar Agriculture in Crisis at the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource Centre last Tuesday.

Dr. Asad Mohammed, senior lecturer of Land Surveying, Faculty of Engineering at the University of the West Indies (UWI), in his discourse asked, “How many of you know who is the Minister of Agriculture?”

Mohammed said the Minister of Agriculture was the least in the Cabinet.

Then, Norris Deonarine, Education and Research Officer of the National Food Crops Farmers Association, made a call for a minister for agriculture instead of a minister of agriculture.

JOHN JAGLAL ... the
Caroni land matter
is before the
High Court.

JAMAL MOHAMMED
in attendance.

Deonarine said he did not want just a figurehead, saying: “These politicians are without a plan.

“They think along the line of constituency and are not planning.

“So government could say this is a seat we are not controlling let us put up some houses.”

Deonarine said farmers are being driven out of the land they occupy in the constituency of Agriculture Minister Jarrette Narine in Arouca and Bon Air East and he dare not lift a finger to help the farmers.

Narine is MP of Arouca North.

Farmer Ramdass Nanhoo slammed government for not doing anything to help farmers.

Nanhoo, a sweet potato farmer, spoke during the discussion period.

He said farmers were suffering.

The Couva farmer said local farmers were not being paid what they deserve.

He said he gets $60 per bag of potato that is imported at $500 a bag from St. Vincent.

He also noted that farmers were suffering when they go to do business at National Agricultural Marketing Development Corporation (NAMDEVCO).

“They leave us until 11 p.m. at the side of the road.

“People come and rob us.

“The facility is no good.”

But Joseph Richardson of Chaguaramas said the farmers will take political action.

He said the government was not listening to them.

Richardson said the government was targeting tourism in Chaguarmas while agriculture was the least in their list of development for the area.

Richardson said: “I am disgusted to refer to my MP Dr. Keith Rowley as a doctor.

“He said they have started putting up 300 houses.

“The Americans did not touch Chaguaramas when they occupied the area, why this government touching?”

The Caroni 1975 Limited topic was given attention. Deonarine said it was madness.

He said there are 7,000 workers who have not been provided with terms and conditions of land they are entitled to.

“What is the rate they are going to pay?” he asked.

John Jaglal of the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers Trade Union (ATS&GWTU) tried to do some explaining during the discussion period.

He said the land distribution matter was in High Court.

Jaglal explained that some sugar workers have letters indicating that they will be given two acres of land to occupy.

He explained that there was no lease hence the matter was taken to court.

He also said all equipment and machinery at Caroni were sold out and there was nothing to clear the land for the farmers.

One man from the audience shouted that the union did nothing for the Caroni workers.

Chairman of the proceedings, Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan asked the man to allow Jaglal to continue.

In response, Mohammed said a middle approach was taken to ensure the workers got something instead of getting nothing.