BREAKING NEWS -NICIL Cancels Belle East farmers leases

Some eighty plus farmers who were given former sugar cane lands under the previous
administration, received letters today from the National Industrial Commercial Investments
Limited (NICIL) informing them that their leases have been revoked.
The farmers who had formed a co-opt in Belle East to help aid in the advancement and
development of agriculture, disclosed to this media house that they were stunned, shocked and is
baffled by the decision of NICIL. “We got these lands legally as they had given us the lands as
former sugar workers to aid in our economic development after the closure of the Wales estates
and at this moment we are exceptionally hurt by their actions,” one of the members said.
www.aroundtheregions.com saw copies of the letter, which were sent to each member giving
them twelve months to vacate the lands. The letter registered through the postal system indicated
that NICIL is immediately moving to cancel the leases as the lands are needed by the company.
However, several of the farmers that formed the Farmers Advancement Network (FAN) Co-opt
said that they are humiliated, disappointed, and peeved over the actions of NICIL and by
extension the Government. Several members from the group related that they had met with the
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha who personally telephoned the Minister of Labour,
Joseph Hamilton seeking his help in getting the farmers registered as a co-opt society.
They further related that it was the Labour Minister who facilitated them and ensure that they got
all the required help, thus making their co-opt legally binding. “You can understand how angry
and hurt that we are as Minister Hamilton had given us so much help and assistance and now we
are losing these very lands that we have unvested millions of dollars and we are prepared to die
for the lands as you just can’t cancel these leases after we would have made significant
investments, we are not interested in the politics we are farmers seeking to feed the nation,” a
senior member said.
Secretary of the Group, Joy Beharry disclosed that in a discussion with the Minister Zulfikar
Mustapha, they had expressed a number of concerns and he personally assured them that they
have nothing to fear as Government will assist them and no one is seeking to take back the lands.
“When we met him (Minister) he asked us who signed the leases and we told him that that it was
signed by Mr. London and he said don’t worry we are not taking back the lands as some people
may want you to believe,” Beharry reported Minister Mustapha as telling she and others who
visited him.
The FAN Secretary said that already they have received over 100 telephone calls as several
persons are depressed, disappointed, hurt and angry. She said that several are planning to protest
the decision by NICIL. She confessed that she and others have been seeking to calm several of
the residents down because persons are worried over the large sums of monies that they invested
in getting their farms going. “Many of us were forced to take loans and now to be told that they
have one year to vacate these lands is not only harsh but cruel to us as farmers because
Government has to understand that elections is every five years and while it may seem as forever

and very long to them, we are going to express our frustration and disgust of this matter is not
amicably resolved,” a member declared.
Beharry admitted that the group is a diverse political group with persons from various races,
noting that several of their members having varying political views, but one thing is common and
that is their love and passion for agricultural development. The evidently hurt farmer said that
she left her job to get into farming and is wondering if she made the right choice. “I never
bargained for this and when I left my place of employment, the little monies that I had, I invested
it along with what my husband secured from working on the sea to get this farm going,” she said.
She said that her husband like her and several others are prepared to fight for the lands as while
they are cognizant that they don’t own the lands, they firmly believe that there must be guiding
principles that should prevent NICIL from attempting to retake the lands.
The letters were all signed by NICIL’s Company Secretary and In-House Attorney, Arianne Mc
Lean who warned that failure to comply with the letter will result in NICIL taking legal action
for damages. Several of the Farmers complained that collectively they are losing over a hundred
plus millions considering their investments, time, and resources that they used to get the farms
off the ground. Several disclosed that they had forged several relationships with key stakeholders
including NAREI and prominent supermarkets, thus now being informed about such a decision
they hope that the decision makers reconsider it, taking into account that one year is way too
limited to reclaim the lands.
“As a young man I have a problem with how politicians in this country operate. Whenever
someone does something the other side is seeking to undo it and this is not maturity it’s a high
level of stupidity and vindictiveness and if we are going to develop as a people we must desist
from such behaviours,” a disgruntled farmer said.
Several of the farmers told www.aroundtheregions.com that they voted for this administration
thinking that things will get better but are now forced to ponder on their decision.