Don't give up hope, Warner tells Spring Villag farmers

Jack Warner told farmers in Spring Village, Valsayn Monday night he was "devastated" when he heard that a bulldozer had destroyed their crops. And the Chagunas MP told the farmers not to give up hope even as their livelihoods are being threatened by what he called "this heartless Government."

He was also angry that Minister of Agriculture, Arnold Piggott is threatening to take back the uncultivated lands given to ex Caroni (1975) Limited employees as the food crisis widens.

Warner was speaking at a UNC-A meeting in the community where farmers are engaged in a struggle with the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to save their agricultural holdings.The HDC went in unannounced and destroyed the cultivated food crop farms to make way for a new housing project. Police arrested and charged a UNC-A councillor on Friday during a demonstration by the farmers.
Read related story: UNC-A councillor arrested
Read related story: Fiery councillor to fight for Spring Village Residents

The HDC claims that it was acting on a Cabinet decision to build homes on the land. But farmers say they have been cultivating the land for two decades and had been authorized to grow food crops on the land by the former Caroni (1975) Limited, which the Manning government has closed down.

Warner said instead of encouraging people to grow food the government continues to victimize the very people who are trying to feed the nation while the government fails to develop an effective agricultural food and land use policy in this country.

He was adamant that food and housing are areas where a coherent policy is needed. "Spring Village’s destruction is of concern to all of us since the same can happen in any community. What has happened in Spring Village could happen in Debe, Tunapuna, Aranguez or even Tabaquite," Warner said, noting that these areas are the nation’s food basket.

"In this country farmers are not protected; yet they are the ones who toil to feed the nation," he said.

Warner said he cannot condone placing housing before food by "wrecking farmers’ lives through the savage destruction on crops."

A visibly angry Warner said, "Our hardworking farmers have toiled on this land for two decades and have struggled to produce food for themselves and the nation while this heartless regime has the audacity to just bulldoze it without warning."

The Chaguanas West MP said he would support any reform of the agricultural sector that provides incentives for people to plant food and allow farmers to develop themselves into entrepreneurs. And he reiterated his call to the government to stop blaming the farmers for the current food crisis in this country.