Region Four Chairman Clement Corlette has made a plea for the joint services to be removed from Buxton, saying they have been harassing farmers in the area.
Corlette made the call yesterday during a visit by Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud to inspect ongoing works in the village. Corlette told Persaud he had received several complaints from farmers who say that police and army ranks often verbally harass them and occasionally tell them that they cannot enter the farms.
A large section of the backlands was cleared of bush after the January 26 killing of 11 people in Lusignan. Residents of Lusignan said the bush provided cover for criminals. Persaud said he found the complaints strange, since the joint services knew their role in the backlands. Additionally, a farmer present during the minister’s visit said he never had any negative experience with the joint services.
However, Corlette told this newspaper that the problem usually arose whenever new joint service squads were assigned to the village. He opined that while there might have been a need to have the joint services present at one time, it has now passed. He said he previously approached the minister about the issue since it required urgent attention. If it is not adequately addressed, Corlette suggested that he would take it to Parliament.
Buxton farmers who met the minister were pleased with the efforts being made to improve the farmlands at the back of the village and they were looking forward to reaping abundantly when farming on the land gets underway. Since the clearing of the land, works on restoring physical infrastructure to aid in farming have commenced. Persaud said the ploughing of the land will start next week and he urged the farmers present to make the most of the opportunities being presented by the government. He also said the ministry would be engaging religious organisations in order to get the young people involved in agriculture in a more significant way. He added that the ministry was making a special effort to develop agriculture in Buxton and more initiatives could be expected in the future. Additionally, a special effort would be made to engage private cane farmers to increase the local production of sugar. Persaud stated that in recent years, the production by this group of farmers has declined considerably and this is a concern.
The minister also visited the desilting pump basin facing the Atlantic Ocean, which will enhance drainage in the area. Lionel Wordsworth, CEO of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, explained that the $16 million project is expected to be completed in two to three weeks time.
Although the project was started in March, it has been affected by bad weather.
