T& T farmers to look at new sites

TIMES INT'L

Farmers have halted protests following “substantial” headway and “enormous” progress in discussions with TT Housing Minister Roodal Moonilal and Food Production Minister Vasant Bharath.

The farmers have agreed to examine relocation sites offered by the state.

Headway came in a two-hour meeting at Bharath’s ministry on Thursday, May 5th. Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar was part of government’s team, offering legal advice. Following the conference, TT Sheep and Goat Farmers’ Association president Shiraz Khan confirmed there had been “substantial headway”, while Moonilal said there had been “enormous progress”. The development came after almost two weeks of protest following the destruction of farmers’ crops on lands at Chaguanas and D’Abadie by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) on Monday, May 2.

Protests culminated on Wednesday, May 4 with a noisy confrontation outside the HDC’s Port-of- Spain office between farmers and Prime Minister Kamla Persad- Bissessar. Farmers went into Thursday’s meeting maintaining their initial four demands for compensation, land with tenure, a land use policy, and an apology from Moonilal. (Excerpt from Guardian media)

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