The Ministry of Food Production has clarified media reported that have suggested that Minister Vasant Bharath is encouraging squatting.
One banner headline in a newspaper read “OK to Squat”, attributing the comment to the food production minister. The story suggested that the minister said it is OK for people to squat on state lands.
In a formal statement Wednesday corporate communications director Yolande Agard-Simmons said the ministry does not condone squatting. However she said farmers who have applied for land tenure can continue to utilise the lands.
"The Ministry in no way condones lawlessness. We maintain the position that the State has failed the farmers in the aspect of land regularisation and expediting the process of lease applications," the statement said.
"The Minister's statements on CCN TV6's Morning Edition on Tuesday were clear in this regard. Farmers who have applied for leases, and through no fault of their own, have not as yet received their legal documents are encouraged to continue engaging in production agriculture."
The statement added that "there is a commitment by the Ministry that all lease applications in the system will be dealt with expeditiously".
Bharath’s statement were made in the context of the bureaucratic delays in granting tenure to farmers who have been using lands.
The Minister noted that hundreds of farmers have applied for land tenure but the process will take years because of the bureaucracy within the ministry.
He said there is a "lackadaisical" culture within the ministry when it comes to treating with the issue of land tenure, which will not change overnight.
Bharath said people who have no land tenure would be denied the various incentives his ministry is offering to make the country productive and reduce the dependence on imported food.
"In fact, many people have left the agricultural sector simply because they have not had tenure for their lands," the minister said.
He added, "If you didn't have tenure to your land you could not access all of the incentives that the ministry offered, nor could you go to the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and access preferential rates or preferential loans. In fact you could not go to any commercial bank and get a loan to develop your farming industry."
Bharath said farmers who make productive use of at least 30 per cent of the land they currently occupy could access all of the incentives that the ministry offers. "You could go to the ministry and get a loan based on what you are doing," he noted.
He dismissed the idea that his plan would lead to lawlessness, adding that if farmers did not squat the country would have no food.
"If tomorrow morning, you said to Trinidad and Tobago, to people utilising lands, you ask them to leave, you know what would happen to food in Trinidad and Tobago? It will virtually have no food to eat and it's no fault of their own simply because the ministry has been tardy in allocating lands to people to farm."
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