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Minister refutes speaking to state newspaper about Tuschen cattle farmers

May 23, 2013 News

Housing Minister Irfaan Ali has refuted claims that he spoke with a state newspaper over a contention that involves cattle rearing land which was allegedly confiscated for housing development. Printed on May 3, with the reporter’s name published, Ali said that he never spoke with the state newspaper on the matter that involves the Tuschen West cattle farmers.
Kaieteur News published an initial article on May 2 which highlighted the cattle farmers concerns that they were being put out of business because of land restraints.  They charged that the Housing Minister had chased them out of his office after numerous visits to his office to express their worry.
The state newspaper however published an article in response to the cattle farmers which said that the Minister had never spoken to anyone from the Tuschen West Cattle Farmers Association. The Minister, in a telephone call to Kaieteur News, said that he never spoke to anyone at the state newspaper and expressed surprise at what was published.
Minister Ali however clarified that every effort is being made to relocate the Tuschen cattle farmers since housing development continues. He directed Kaieteur News to one of his Ministry’s engineers, Omar Narine, who highlighted that a meeting was held with the cattle farmers yesterday.
He said the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) is in the process of finalizing arrangements for 100 acres of lands to be available to the cattle farmers in Tuschen, to be used as pasture lands.
In 2001, he said, GUYSUCO transferred by way of transport, 1852 acres of land at Block “8” Tuschen and Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo to the Central Housing and Planning Authority.
In 2010, the Central Housing and Planning Authority commenced works under the Government of Guyana/ Inter American Development Bank, Second Low Income Settlements Programme in the Tuschen, Ph II area (Eastern half).
“Before this development was finalized, the cattle farmers met with officials from the Agency in July 2009, to discuss alternative lands for their cattle grazing. It was agreed by both parties that the western half of the Tuschen, Phase II will be given to them for such purposes.
Cattle farmers however said that the land now occupied is too small for the animals to graze. They said that about 200 cows grazed on almost 200 acres of land, but now, there is only 89 acres of space to occupy. This has caused the cows to graze at road sides and they often end up in the housing scheme; but when they are picked up by animal catchers, they cost $8,000 per head to be returned.
The farmers said that many of them have nothing else to do and are fearful that their livelihood is dwindling away. They said that a plot of land had been identified at Zeelugt, but to date they have not been issued anything.

 

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