THE EDITOR: Sometimes I am left to wonder if any of the state institutions – which taxpayers are forced to pay for – are working. Imagine citizens have to sue the state for negligence in health matters, sue the state for not performing its role in protecting the lives of innocent citizens, beg for justice, beg for water and better roads and now beg for protection from thieves who indiscriminately harvest crops which were produced by farmers through hard work, sweat and tears.

There have been many calls on the Minister of Agriculture to provide farmers protection from bandits who move in the dead of night, fully armed, to harvest crops and reap the benefit of the hard work of farmers throughout the length and breadth of Trinidad and Tobago.

And, to top it all off, the callous thieves destroy what they cannot reap or what may be too immature to reap at this time.

We have learnt that the ministry has acquired a fleet of new vehicles to be used in the fight against this worrying praedial-larceny scourge, but the use of such vehicles has been tied up in state-created bureaucracy.

So when are farmers going to get some relief, when all their produce is gone? Or will this relief come only after farmers start dropping like flies under the firepower of these well-armed thieves, while trying to protect their livelihood?

Another very salient issue is the threat via the invasion of wild buffalypso in some farms in south Trinidad.

These animals have been roaming the countryside for some time now and can indeed become very destructive, not to mention dangerous, to people and property, since these animals are known to be short-tempered. Any false move and they will attack.

Isn't there a need for meat and meat products in TT? So why can't we set up a team or team up with hunters and make these pests a part of our local diet?

In 1995, there was a case of the widespread proliferation of

Maconellicoccus Hirsutus, commonly referred to as the hibiscus mealybug. This pestilence threatened to wipe not only hibiscus and genetically-related plants like sorrel and ochro but a huge number of other plants like oranges, portugals, grapefruit etc.

Government of the day moved quickly and through special units from city councils, boroughs and corporations, was able to contain this threat.

Why is it today there are invasions of locusts, giant African snails, killer bees and now buffalypso and nothing is done by the ministry to provide relief to citizens? Has the ministry fallen flat on its face?

Something is definitely wrong with the way things are done at government level in TT. No wonder our annual food-import bill is in the billions of dollars.

At the same time, arable land is left to waste, the animal population (for meat and milk) continues to decline, ministers continue to twiddle their thumbs and thieves are running away with the cheese.

WAHID HOSEIN

Chaguanas

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