Region Five farmers complain of being robbed of produce in backdams

Some of the attendees at the meeting
Some of the attendees at the meeting

Several farmers in Region Five on Saturday complained of being robbed of their produce in the backdams of several villages by armed persons.

The complaints were made to Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha, on Saturday at a community outreach held at the Rosignol Primary School. 

Inshan Mooneer, 70, of D’Edward Village, told the minister that the attacks are carried out by groups of persons.  “They coming with bicycles – 10 bicycles, 12 bicycles – and they get things, too, so we can’t face them up,” he said.

Mooneer later told Stabroek News that the perpetrators are often armed when they venture into the backdams. 

According to Mooneer, many farmers are affected and as a result they believe that access to the backdams should be limited to landowners and their work-ers. “If you don’t have land in Section A, don’t enter in Section A, and if you want to go in Section A you have to have a proprietor with you,” he suggested. 

According to Mooneer, initially they were being robbed in the night. “But now them boys a order you what to do,” he related. “We a see truck load a go Georgetown and them people na even get one bigan or bora plant,” the man told this publication. 

Meanwhile, a farmer from Cotton Tree Village, West Coast Berbice, also complained to the minister. He said, “We are facing a very serious matter in the backdam. All our produce are being stolen, even if we are there they come and they take it away….” 

One farmer said he made a report of the attacks to the Blairmont Police Station but nothing seemed to come of it.

Meanwhile, in response, Mustapha called the accounts “very serious” and assured that he would raise the issue with Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn “so that we can see how we can deal with this matter to protect you and your crops so that you can sell your crops.” 

Mustapha also pointed out that the issue has the potential to ignite conflict and therefore stressed the importance of government addressing the situation with all sides.

He noted, that this matter can push farmers down the wrong path “because when you are farming and put in all your resources and all your labour in producing and when you seeing the fruits of your labour being taken away and stolen from you, that could put you to do anything so we have to deal with this.”