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Govt. to take back 5000 acres of WBD State lands
…coconut company with 700-acre plot at Wales included
By Shervin Belgrave
Kaieteur News – Government is gearing to take back 5000 acres of State lands on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD), including a 700-acre plot at Wales which is currently in the possession of a private coconut company. The 700-acre plot was reportedly obtained by Amazonia Expert Services (AESL) in 2019.
Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo speaking to residents at Patentia, WBD on Saturday
This publication understands that it was part of the closed Wales Sugar Estate and its Principal, former Executive of the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Dr. Arlington Chesney, had stated that the land would be used to produce coconut water as well as dried and grated coconuts for the export market. It was announced that the Dominican Republic was being eyed as a primary target.
According to reports, the company was only six weeks old when it received a 20-year lease for the plot of land from the then A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) administration.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said on Saturday that since AESL obtained the property it did not plant a single coconut tree. “They (the previous coalition administration) give a single individual (lands) to plant coconut trees and they have never even put down a baby coconut tree as yet,” Jagdeo revealed.
At the time of his disclosure, the Vice President was addressing the launch of a part-time employment initiative at Patentia, WBD. As he spoke of the 700-acre plot of land, he made it clear to his audience that his government “will take it back.”
Principal of Amazonia Expert Services (AESL), Dr. Arlington Chesney
He revealed that the targeted 5,000 acres of State lands were handed out to private firms by the previous administration and once reclaimed these will be converted to house lots for residents in the region. According to him, the 5000 acres of land can facilitate some 20,000 house lots.
“We are now looking for land to do 14,000 house lots in this region because that is the number of applications we have received and almost all of the lands in the upper part going back to Uitvlugt is practically gone to private owners, so we are trying to take back some of the lands at Wales and other places,” Jagdeo said.
The Vice President said that his government is prepared to go to court to reclaim the lands.
“Now we will have to probably go and we will have court battles but we will make sure we take back the lands to develop housing because we promise 50,000 house lots and in this region we are gonna make sure the 14,000 people who have applied that they get their plots of lands too,” Jagdeo assured.
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