I removed myself from talks on the 10,000 acres leased to me – MMA – ADA Chairman

Dec 29, 2019 News

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Chairman of the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA), Kelvin Saul, yesterday defended his leasing10,000 acres.

Yesterday, in a statement, the chairman said that the land is a conversion from a forestry concession to a farming one.
The lands are all the same ones that were referenced in a number of articles published in Kaieteur News this past week.
According to Saul, at the time of the decision by MMA-ADA in 2016, he was not the chairman.
He was a board member. He recused himself on the deliberations of the transactions, he said.
The transaction for such a large swath of land in Mahaica, in an area under the jurisdiction of MMA-ADA, the same authority chaired by Saul, would raise eyebrows.
The Opposition made it clear that there appears to be elements of a conflict of interest scenario.
On Friday, Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, said that transaction also came at a time when poor farmers are clamoring for more lands.
Region Five chairman, Vickchand Ramphal, had said that he would check records to determine whether the transaction was above board.
He could not immediately recall the transaction.
He said that such a large plot being awarded to board members is not a normal transaction.
In recent times, the Opposition said that it has been investigating a number of large land transactions to persons linked to the Coalition Government.
The Opposition said it is preparing a file.
Yesterday, Saul made it clear that the transaction is above board.
He declined to answer more questions and noted that he is being advised.
Below is his full statement as released to Kaieteur News:
MATIS had this 10,609 acres since 2014
I, the, undersigned refer to two articles carried in the Kaieteur News over the past few days with respect to my functions as Chairman of the Board of the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA).
These articles are captioned: Conflict of Interest? MMA/ADA Chairman leased 10,000 acres in Mahaica – documents dated Dec 25, 2019
‘10,000 acres Mahaica lands leased… Unusual for Chairman to benefit dated Dec 27, 2019.
Let me say that I am saddened by the fact that these articles were written without, as far as I am aware, any attempt to seek clarifications or explanations from me prior to their publication-something which I am of the view, should be a sacred principle of investigative journalism.
That being said, I wish to add as follows: In August 2014 myself and three other persons registered under the name Mc Agriculture Trading and Investment Services (MATIS) was granted a Forestry Permission SFP DEM 21/14 from the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) which contradicts the assertion that “I am the sole owner of that entity, MATIS, registered to Kelvin Saul”.
The SFP DEM 21/14 is a block of approximately 10,609 acres of State Lands lying on either side of Captain Creek in Region 5 -in effect the same land mentioned in your articles.
This land was essentially Forest Land in the Hinterland and Intermediate Savannahs and MATIS focused on husbandry and harvesting of forestry products with charcoal production through systematic and sustained tree felling and land clearing.
In January 2016 (MATIS) took a conscious decision to diversify into other related Agricultural activities (Crops)
The conversion from Forestry to Crops required the intervention/permission of the MMA/ADA and to this end an application was submitted to the MMA in January 2016 to lease the said block of land for agricultural purposes.
Subsequently the GFC which had granted the SFP in 2014 informed the Ministry of Agriculture and the MMA/ADA on August 8, 2019, that it had no objection to the conversion and to the granting of a Lease for the said Land to MATIS by the MMA/ADA.
As per protocol I recused myself from the MMA/ADA discussions on the conversion and in any event I was not a member of that Committee that deliberated, nor was I the Chairman of MMA/ADA at the time.
The MMA/ADA subsequently approved the conversion.
It was not without an element of surprise and I must admit subsequent annoyance, Mr. Editor, that I read the scurrilous allegations by Mr. Harry Gill and Mr. Vickchand Ramphal both of the PPP/C who egregiously stated that I had obtained the land from the MMA/ADA during this year as part of a pre-election “land-grabbing scheme.”
I wish to reiterate, and there is some irony here, that the Lease for the ten thousand acres of land was obtained by MATIS in 2014 from the PPP/C Administration which is a direct refutation of Mr. Ramphal’s assertion that “this could not happen under the previous (PPP/C) Administration”.
The subsequent MATIS application to the MMA which is the current excuse for controversy was merely for a conversion of the use of the said land from Forestry to Agricultural purposes.
The indecent haste of these PPP/C persons in making baseless allegations, against MATIS; impugning my integrity as an official, is sad to say a basic modus operandi of some of the activists of this party.
I am not excluding the legal option against this sickening attempt to tarnish my reputation by those who are economic with the truth or who fail to do due diligence before making allegations against law abiding persons.
Yours Faithfully,
Kelvin Saul.
Chairman MMA-ADA, Member of MATIS

 

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