NDC, residents at loggerheads over impounding of cattle

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has distanced himself from the impounding of heads of cattle on the Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) earlier this week.

The Number 52/74 Neighbourhood Democratic Council took a decision at a special meeting held on Monday to employ stray catchers.
However, in January the Agriculture Ministry had announced that it has stopped impounding at the 52/74 Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) area after there had been complaints of illegal impounding. This was after residents had alleged and complained that their animals were being collected even when being attended to and taken to the pound and they were forced to pay huge sums to have them released.
The Home Affairs Ministry also revoked the permission given to stray catchers, making it illegal for them to catch animals and take them to the pounds which were also ordered closed.
Last Friday during a regional outreach at number 63 Village, the issue of rice and cattle once again surfaced.
Former Chairman of the 52/74 Water Users Association Ahmad Rajab, speaking on the issue of cattle entering rice fields and feasting on the rice plants pointed out that earlier in the year the Agriculture Minister had given orders for pounds to release animals that were being kept.
“So, what do we do? They want us to plant rice or they don’t us to plant rice,” he questioned.
“We are asking to get these stray catchers to come back. I am planting 300 acres of rice, when I am finished planting rice I must go and look for cows? This thing is very costly. I already spent over $8 million. I re-migrated to come and plant rice here,” he added.
Within the 52/74 area, there are 14,000 acres under rice cultivation.
Speaking at the outreach, former Magistrate Krissondat Persaud, who is also a rice farmer, said the NDC has jurisdiction for the reserves in the community and as such, the NDC has the authority to impound.
Regional Chairman David Armogan informed that the ban on impounding was taken by the Agriculture Ministry, but the former Magistrate argued that the Ministry does not have the authority to stop the impounding of animals.
The Regional Chairman who consulted the Minister informed the farmers that the Agriculture Minister had no issue with reopening the pounds and impounding animals that are destroying crops.
“So, the pounds can be reopened. The other thing is that we have to contact the Minister of Home Affairs to resuscitate the impounding of animals with people who are given a document to do so – that is the stray catchers. In the meantime, if you have other means of taking them to the pound, those measures can be utilised in the meantime.”
As of this week scores of animals have since been impounded as the NDC took a decision to impound animals that have been found to be damaging rice. Animal owners have voiced their concerns, saying animals that are not straying and also being taken to the pound.
Anthony Ramnauth, a cattle farmer, said over 30 heads of cattle were impounded for him and he had to sell some of the cattle to get the money to pay $287,000 to get them released.
He told this publication that he was told by his workers that the animals were on the dams when they were collected by the stray catchers and taken to the pound. (G4)