RDC did not authorise REO to ban farmers from land

Region Five

Acting Chairman of Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Rian Pieters says that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) never instructed the Regional Executive Officer (REO) to erect notices at the entrance to farms, barring farmers from going onto the lands which they have been occupying for decades.
Last Thursday, the notices were placed at the entrances to the farmlands, indicating that it was a criminal offence to enter the properties located at Naarstigheid on the West Coast of Berbice (WCB).
More than 30 farmers from Bath Settlement, Experiment, Naarstigheid, Fort Wellington and Hopetown were affected by the move, which was reportedly made by REO Ovid Morrison.
On Thursday, Pieters met with aggrieved farmers and invited the REO to the meeting. Following the meeting, the acting Chairman told Guyana Times that it was decided the farmers would remain on the land.
“The Council has never made any decision to remove any farmers from that plot of land,” the acting Chairman said.
The farmers have some 50 acres under cash crops, fruits and livestock. Some of them related that they have been cultivating the land since the late Satydeow Sawh was the Minister of Agriculture.
While Pieters maintains that the issue was never discussed at the RDC level, he assured that it would come up for discussion shortly.
“I would have met with some of the farmers who are planting on a plot of land, which was leased to the Regional Democratic Council at Naarstigheid. They have some concerns saying that they received word that the Regional Democratic Council was removing them from the land, and I would have said to them that the issue that they approached me on will be receiving the full attention of the RDC at its statutory meeting on November 17, and I further assured them that the RDC remains committed to the people and their well-being and development and as such, we have no intention of removing any farmer,” the acting Regional Chairman reassured.