Ministers engage farmers’ groups to resolve land issues

Jul 19, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, recently met with two groups of farmers primarily from the Shieldstown/Rampoor area in West Coast, Berbice, in an effort to resolve what has become a decades-old land dispute issue between the two groups.
Nandlall while offering comments following the meetings, told reporters that recommendations on a way forward were put to both groups. He further stated, that the lands will be divided in a way that is accepted by both parties.

From left:- Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall and Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha.

“We’ve tried, for years, to have a compromise arrived at, to bring this animosity and controversy to an end. We met and we have preliminarily extracted from both sides, an undertaking of how they will use and occupy the land. We gave them some advice on how to organize themselves into a Co-op Society, so that whatever compromise we arrive at, it would be with the Co-op Society.
Once we are able to get that organized, and we have extracted from them an understanding, we will divide the land in an acceptable way based on what they have agreed upon. We’ll then regularize the occupation by the issuance of licences or some form of lease until we can have more lands for them,” the Attorney General said.
As for Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, he told reporters that efforts are being made to have this particular issue resolved soon. He also said that the area will be zoned, in terms of areas designated for crop cultivation and livestock.
“Both groups have agreed to work with us, and we’ll be pushing to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible. One group has already formed a Co-op. The cattle farmers, with the assistance of the Co-op officer, will be registering their group as a Co-op. The Attorney General’s Office will be assisting them with that process. Hopefully, within another two months, we would be able to get this matter resolved. We will divide the land and zone it so that one part will be allocated for the cultivation of crops, while the other part, will be for the rearing of livestock,” Minister Mustapha said.
Minister Mustapha further stated that the MMA-ADA will be conducting an occupational survey in order to commence appropriately dividing the land and putting in the necessary infrastructural works.
He added that, apart from today’s hearing, both the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Legal Affairs, have been working to resolve land dispute matters across the country.
“There are many conflicts like this across the country. Both the Attorney General and I have been working aggressively to resolve these conflicts. We have conflicts in Essequibo, in the Number 52-74 area, and in Black Bush Polder. In all these areas we’ve been working because we made a commitment to the people of this country that, when we got back into government, we’ll work to resolve these issues and ensure people have lands to rear livestock and to farm,” Minister Mustapha said.

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