Dear Editor,
It is with much frustration that I am writing on behalf of my daughter who has been employed within the Ministry of Agriculture for the past eleven years. Last year she applied for a duty-free concession to which she is entitled and which would allow her to do her job in a more efficient manner, but to date it has not been approved by Minister Robert Persaud.
She is in charge of two sub-districts which fall in a rural area, and this makes it hard for her to get to each farmer on a daily basis.
She went to see the Minister twice, but he did not listen to what she had to say; he just told her he was going to get back to her and the other staff who are in the same dilemma through the Deputy Permanent Secretary (DPS). We waited and waited until we called the DPS who cannot render any assistance because he can’t do anything without the Minister’s approval.
I have made sacrifices to send my daughter to further her studies, thus qualifying her in the field in which she works, so why is the Minister holding back these professionals from getting their concession?
I should say that they are entitled to $10,000 per month for travelling which comes three to four months late.
Now with all these hindrances how can the staff give of their best to the farmers?
I don’t want to disrespect the Minister but these persons are all holders of degrees, diplomas and certificates in Agriculture; they pursued tedious studies to become what they are today.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address
provided)
Editor’s note
We sent a copy of this letter to Minister of Agriculture, Mr Robert Persaud, and received the following response from Mr Brian Greenidge, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Administration:
“We have noted the issues raised in the letter sent to your newspaper for publication and wish to offer the following comments.
“1. The Ministry of Agriculture, in 2007, embarked on a programme to reorganize its Extension Services so that it would be more responsive to the needs of its beneficiaries. This was important moreso in view of the fact that it was preparing to embark on two new projects which would require the support of an effective and efficient system for the transfer of technology.
The two projects referred to are the Agricultural Diversifica-tion Project (ADP) and the Rural Enterprise for Agricultural Development, and they carry a combined portfolio of approximately US$28,000,000.
“As part of the reorganisation process, an audit of the extension service was done. This audit revealed, among other things, that a large number of officers who benefited from duty free concessions were not actually using their vehicles in the conduct of their duties. It was therefore recommended that the grant of duty free concessions be tied to performance. This recommendation was taken on board by the Ministry.
“The Ministry continues to grant duty free concessions but the process is not automatic. Applications from those officers who qualify were dealt with.
“2. Travelling claims are made at the end of the month for payment by the end of the next month. There may be a delay in payment if claims are not made in a timely manner by the officer.
“I hope that the above comments help to clear the air on the issues highlighted in the letter.”
