For over 60 years, Paul De Four, one of the original dairy farmers in Wallerfield has invested more than his blood, sweat and tears to toil the arable 20-acre plot at Block 3, producing truckloads of fruit, urns of milk, prime beef and a fountain of knowledge that he willingly shares to anyone who has a passion for agriculture.
De Four, who celebrates his 81st birthday on May 22, like some of the surviving first-generation and second-generation farmers of dairy farmers Wallerfield, Carlsen Field, in Central Trinidad and Turure, near the eastern town of Sangre Grande all share one bitter experience – the inordinate, costly and bureaucratic process to get their original leases renewed by the Ministry of Agriculture.
On Saturday, La Horquetta/Talparo MP Foster Cummings, Arima MP Pennelope Beckles spoke at an event hosted by the Heliconia Foundation at Solomon Temple, in Wallerfield addressing the issue of land tenure of the Wallerfield farmers. The farmers hope this is not yet another talk shop.
Without leases, they cannot use the land as collateral to get loans to invest and access the myriad subsidies offered by the State to bonafide, registered farmers.
Several of the 60-plus farmers who turned up on Saturday shared similar stories.
[caption id="attachment_954673" align="alignnone" width="1007"] Paul De Four, 80, shows the quality of dragon fruit harvested at his Wallerfield farm. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]
Pig farmer Willhimea Benn, 91, better known as "Ma Benn," who Cummings said was the person who inspired the meeting, said she has been waiting for 50 years to get her lease approved for her three-acre parcel and had fallen victim to thieves and bandits who often made off with her prized pigs and ducks. She said she spends her entire pension of $3,000 to buy feed for her animals but sales were slow coming out of the pandemic.
Trevor Richardson, 72, a surviving member of the Memphis Co-operative which had been allocated 85 acres said they have been waiting for three decades to get approval to renew the lease.
Another farmer John Lopez, 85, who uses a cane to help him walk, said he had applied 15 years ago for approval for the 11 acres he has occupied, and over that time the response has been it was waiting Cabinet approval.
"That Cabinet must be fall down," he said. Lopez said he has attended countless meetings over the years, hoping to get the issues resolved, and, "this might be my last meeting."
He said officials of the Agricultural Development Bank asked him on Saturday if he was interested in a loan and he replied, "I want a loan to buy my coffin."
In response to queries, Susan Shurland permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries said the ministry could not immediately give a number of leases approved between 2015-2022 by Cabinet as the Office of the Chief State Solicitor is charged with the execution of those leases.
"An update on the specific quantum of leases executed shall be forthcoming," the statement said.
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