MMA/ADA cracking down on illegal state land sub-letting

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Guyana Chronicle10 May 2007
MMA/ADA cracking down on illegal state land sub-lettingBy Clifford Stanley

THE Mahaica Mahaicony Abary/Agricultural Development Authority(MMA/ADA) is cracking down on persons sub-letting state land withoutpermission in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) by repossessing andreallocating the plots to new applicants, Chairman of the MMA Board Mr.Rudolph Gajraj said.He yesterday said the process of repossession and reallocation of statelands within the MMA project area had “finally” begun.The campaign, he said, is being carried out simultaneously with legalproceedings to recover outstanding Drainage and Irrigation (D&I)charges owed by dispossessed delinquents during their period of tenure.The MMA has since May 4 last been posting notices in the media of thenames of defaulters whose lands have been taken away and the sums ofmoney they owe, as well as inviting new applicants for the land nowdeemed vacant.Most of the land publicised as having been taken away and now beingavailable for new applicants is within the project area in WestBerbice.Gajraj said the MMA had been aware that the practice of sub-lettingstate land by persons who had been given leases was a rapidly growingphenomenon within the MMA project area in recent years.He said the problem had been growing in stature since most of theself-appointed “landlords” had been collecting monies from “tenants”and not making any attempt to pay the MMA its due rates and taxes.He added: “In many cases these self appointed `landlords’ have notitles to these lands but they rent them to farmers at rates of betweenthree and five thousand dollars per acre per crop, two crops per yearand just pocket the money.”The MMA D&I charges, he said, amounted to a minimal eight hundred andthirty seven dollars per acre per crop compared to the three to fivethousand dollars per acre per crop charged by the unauthorised“landlords”.Yet, many “landlords” or “tenants” have failed to pay the charges witha resultant accumulation of huge debts to the MMA in relation to largeacreages, Gajraj reported.He said too that the unauthorised sub-letting of state lands within theMMA project area had proven to be a major hindrance to agreed onarrangements for the maintenance of secondary systems by many farmers.The “tenants” having paid rent demanded up front by sub-letters, arereluctant to go into the additional expense of joining other farmers tomaintain the secondary drainage and irrigation system, he said.“As a result,” he stressed, “we have had an ongoing situation where theprimary system maintained by the MMA is in top shape while elements ofthe secondary system which should have been maintained by farmers arein a very deplorable condition.”LARGE OVERHEADSSome farmers told the Guyana Chronicle that having to rent land frompeople who have had them lying idle had contributed to large overheadsin costs which had reduced their income from crops on almost alloccasions when they have to enter into such transactions.They said many had put up with the situation because they had investedheavily in acquiring tractors and other rice farming machines andequipment and did not own enough land to maximise on the use of suchequipment.One farmer said that in addition, when the MMA or the government giveswaivers and flood relief in the event of crop losses, the “landlords”are usually up front in collecting such benefits.They collect such relief benefits and there is usually no refund of therent paid by the tenant even though they know first hand of theproblems which had affected the crop.“We have been putting up with it because we have invested heavily inequipment for rice farming. We put up with these situations because ifyou give the sub-letters any trouble, they simply take you off the landand put someone else on it”, the farmer said.He added that many “tenants” bear the additional cost of cleaning thesecondary canals and drains in order to ensure the safety of theircrops but many others ignore this aspect of their crop husbandry andjust hope for the best.Gajraj concurred that the maintenance of the secondary drains andcanals had been the major casualty of the sub-letting system.He reported that the MMA which has been rehabilitating secondary canalsand drains in recent weeks has begun seeing signs that cleaning andmaintenance is already being neglected because of the failure of“landlords” to carry out their obligations and the reluctance of their“tenants” to bear the additional cost.“The maintenance ball, so to speak, is going to drop between the`landlord’ and the `tenant’ all over again. We cannot continue likethis. Something has to be done, hence the current campaign ofrepossession, reallocation and legal proceedings to get our money forthe service from which these unauthorised `landlords’ benefited,” hesaid.He added: “In this campaign the MMA’s actions are and will beprincipled, transparent and fair. There will be no sacred cows.”