By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
The Government last year reclaimed 60 parcels of agricultural land that were being improperly used, with some acting as locations for churches and other activities that violated lease agreements.
V. Alfred Gray, minister of agriculture and marine resources, said his ministry had become more diligent in its inspections of farm land previously leased by the Government.
Speaking at a signing ceremony for new leases, he said the Ministry was committed to more frequent inspections of land leased for agricultural purposes, acknowledging that this had not been done on a timely basis in the past.
As a result, tenants had been able to abuse their agreements by building residential structures on land leased by the Government specifically for farming.
“Since 2012-2013, the Ministry has had a paradigm shift in its investigative process,” Mr Gray said. “That said, I have seen in my inspection at least four to five churches in the Cowpen Road area on land belonging to the Government and designated as farm land.
“I made the apology for the Ministry. and those who were supposed to be checking, to the people of our county for allowing that to happen. If we fall down as a Ministry in checking to see that people are using the land properly, we have some responsibility for that.”
Mr Gray added: “We are not going to allow people to have these lands indefinitely without tracking them. If they do not do what they are supposed to do, then there is a clause in their lease to allow for the Ministry to take the land back and give it to someone else who will be willing to farm.
“This is not a game. I have taken a very serious approach to this, and I want everyone who is going to participate to be just as serious. Some people want land for their cousin, their grandchildren, and aren’t doing anything with the land. We are not going to allow people to hoard land hoping to leave it for their grandchildren. We have taken back perhaps at least 60 pieces of land just last year alone.”
Mr Gray said that once the lease terms have been breached, the Ministry does not have to go to court to reclaim the land.
“If you breach the contract we don’t have to go to court to take it back. We have gone to court because some people had things on the land that we want to break down, but we want to be sure that we had a court order rather than putting people out there to get in harm’s way,” said Mr Gray
He added that agricultural land leases recently granted to five persons by the Ministry range from 10-21 years in duration.
“Generally there is a 21-year duration, but they all have exit clauses, which means if you do not do what you have signed to do we can take it back in six months, eight months or a year. I guess it depends on how observant we are as a Ministry,” said Mr Gray.
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