(Trinidad Guardian) Farmers have halted protests following “substantial” headway and “enormous” progress in discussions on Thursday with Housing Minister Roodal Moonilal and Food Production Minister Vasant Bharath. The farmers have agreed to examine relocation sites offered by the State. Headway came in a two-hour meeting at Bharath’s ministry on Thursday. Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar, offering legal advice, was part of Government’s team.
Following the conference, T&T Sheep and Goats Farmers’ Association president Shiraz Khan confirmed there had been “substantial headway” while Moonilal said there had been “enormous progress.”
The development came after almost two weeks of protest following the destruction of farmers’ crops on lands at Chaguanas and D’Abadie by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) last week Monday.
Protests culminated with a noisy confrontation, outside the HDC’s Port-of-Spain office on Wednesday, by farmers with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Farmers went into Thursday’s meeting maintaining their initial four demands for compensation, land with tenure, a land use policy and an apology from Moonilal. Emerging post-meeting, Khan said: “Protests will halt and we will continue consultations. Ministers have agreed to go on Saturday morning to visit the sites where crops were destroyed and see for themselves and talks will continue from there.”
