Government must take action on subletting of leased lands

Dear Editor,
Over the years I have been writing pertaining to the same in Guyana and I will clearly say that in Region Five subletting of Government-leased land is a profitable business over the years for some land lease owners.
In 2016, I wrote about the same and also had a conversation with the then Minister of Agriculture but nothing was done to stop this nonsense that is happening in subletting of leased lands by the legal lease owners.
In Region Five, thousands of acres of land are being given by the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary-Agriculture Development Authority (MMA-ADA) through legal leases to persons who claim to be or want to be rice farmers. Farmers who are planting rice and want to expand would normally apply to MMA-ADA for more land through the legal way which is by lease and sometimes they are being told lands are not available.
I must thank MMA-ADA for ensuring that lands are being given through legal means so that rice farmers can continue to make our region proud and be the best and most productive rice-producing region in Guyana. Lands are also being given through lease to cattle farmers by MMA-ADA, so that those large cattle farmers can have their cattle away from the housing areas and farmlands.
I also know that many are also very concerned when the “real rice farmers” are crying out for developmental works to be done in the areas for better access dams, drainage and irrigation. Many of us will join with those very “real rice farmers” to echo their calls for development, but little do we know is that those very farmers are subletting Government-leased lands from the legal lessees. (I won’t blame the farmers for doing such because they want to invest more into the sector).
There are scores of persons who have tens of acres of farmlands through the legal means of a lease from MMA-ADA and are in the business of subletting those lands to the “real rice farmers ‘’. Many of those very lease landowners are also in the US and making money off those very lands that they are subletting to others.
We all know that subletting of Government-leased land is “illegal” and MMA-ADA makes it clear before handing those leases to the applicants. So they are very much aware that when they sublet those lands it’s “illegal business” they are into, but they don’t care because they are making more money per acre on rental fees than MMA-ADA.
The lessee of those leased lands would charge\rent to the farmers for somewhere around $15,000 to $20,000 per acre of rice land. While MMA-ADA charges $7500 per acre of rice lands (present fee charge per acre). Under the APNU (PNC) Government that very land was subletting\renting around $25,000 to $35,000 per acre because Noel Holder found it wise to raise the land rental fee to $15,000 per acre. I won’t say why he had to ensure it was raised, but I believe it has a lot to do with the subletting business.
Guyanese brothers and sisters, those very legal lease landowners that are subletting and collecting the high rental fees are the ones that I believe are not paying MMA-ADA their lease land rental fees per acre. I am very much saying this because I know that if the management of MMA-ADA goes public on who are the persons in arrears to the authority, you will hear “well I am not planting lands anymore, my uncle or friend planting it for me”, “my son or grandchildren planting the lands”, etc.
Those legal land lease owners are the ones that are making the “real rice farmers” face the hardship at times especially when infrastructural works have to be done so that farmers can have better access to their farmlands.
Recently, in Region Two I saw farmers were protesting against the legal owner of the rice lands they are renting and saying a lot of negative things about the owner of those lands. But the owner came out and made it clear that the legal lease owners are subletting his lands and making thousands more than what he charges them to lease his lands and yet they don’t want to pay their legal land charges.
So, those legal lease land owners are not only taking advantage of the Government by subletting the lease land at a higher rate but also taking the said advantage on private land owners that are renting\leasing lands to farmers.
Most of us should know that it is clear that once you are the legal lease owner of farm land that is given by MMA-ADA and you sublet, it’s “illegal”, therefore the entity can withdraw those very lands from the original lease land owners because they went beyond and breached the legal agreement.
With much to do in developing the MMA-ADA at this time because nothing was done under the previous Government to improve the dams, drainage or irrigation in the scheme, those legal land lease owners need to pay their dues.
I am calling on the Minister of Agriculture Hon Zulfikar Mustapha MP, the Board of Directors and the management of MMA-ADA to take quick action against those that are subletting lands and moreover to take it away from them and give it to the farmers that are presently planting the land.
Don’t only take it away from those that are subletting but ensure they pay all of their dues owed to MMA-ADA because over the years they were in the subletting business and making monies but they did not want to fulfil their obligations to the entity by paying their fees.
I know that many rice farmers would agree with me for that to happen because it’s a burden when the lands are being sublet at that very high price to them and services cannot be provided because the legal owner of the land pockets the rents and is not paying MMA-ADA their dues.
There are many farmers who have made applications for more lands to be made available to them and I am asking that the agency look into this issue. This is not a matter of attacking the agency but putting your field officers in the backlands to get information as to who are the ones planting the lands presently and then from that info provided, action must be taken.
Minister, this is a matter of importance because Region Five farmers are craving for lands to expand their business in planting rice, and please Mr Minister, this has nothing to do with race or politics because subletting of Government lease lands is “illegal” and I know you want to see more being done in ensuring that agriculture remains on top and a priority, therefore I am asking that the “real farmers” are given the legal status as to the lands they are presently planting that they are subletting.
With regards,
Abel Seetaram