Efforts underway to accelerate verification process
Agri Minister visits compensation desk

Georgetown, GINA, February 26, 2008.
 
Farmers of the lower East Coast Demerara whose crops will be affected in the identified zone for clearing by the Joint Services, as part of its ongoing security operation, will be compensated at the earliest through a verification process even before the clearing is undertaken.
            Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud explained that once the Joint Services has identified an area for clearing, work will proceed to verify with the farmers with the intention of effecting payment immediately, so the farmers do not have to wait until an area has been cleared.
            The Minister made the remarks during a visit to the compensation centre at the Friendship Methodist Church, East Coast Demerara, which was established to assist farmers of the Buxton/Friendship area who were affected by clearing of the backlands.
            The centre, which was established on February 18, is being operated by a multi-stakeholder body that includes representatives from the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Joint Services, Ministry of Agriculture and the farmers’ committee in the area.
            The forms collected at the centre are reviewed for verification which includes physical confirmation of the land, after which the results from this process are assessed by a technical committee for the award of sums to be paid to the farmers.
            Since establishment of the centre on February 25, a total of 63 farmers have made claims for trees and crops destroyed by the clearing exercise. An on-the-ground verification process was conducted on February 24 along Brushe Dam, since it is the only area cleared so far, to determine the level of damage and legitimacy of the farmers’ claims.
            However, of the 23 farmers who registered that they were cultivating along Brushe Dam, only eight participated in the verification, although they were notified of the exercise through their representatives and via telephone contact.
            The process has already been completed for the first batch of eight farmers who have already signed contracts paving the way for payments to be made within several days. During the visit, several farmers who have already signed their contracts for the compensation, met Minister Persaud and expressed dissatisfaction with the sum.
They were advised that there is a process whereby they can appeal and based on the validity of their claims, the individual matter will be addressed.
  “That appeal is done once we would have sorted out everyone at the verification and made initial or interim payments or those that we cannot finalise, that we then re-look at each of those farmers who may have not been satisfied or believe that they were not treated fairly, for that appeal mechanism,” the Minister explained.
It was noted that in cases where a final settlement cannot be concluded, the process will proceed with interim payment and the final payment will be settled as soon as possible.
The compensation settlement is derived from market value for the crops and based on experience and the system being utilised for similar processes during the construction of the Berbice River Bridge and Essequibo roadway. Minister Persaud explained that mechanism employed in the previous projects is being used because it is necessary to ensure consistency with Government’s policy and the procedures for dispensing compensation.
            The centre will be relocated to other communities where clearing activities will take place.
So far, the Joint Services has cleared Brushe Dam, Buxton and is preparing to move in the east to west zones of the identified areas.
            The Joint Services has indicated that once clearing is completed, some crops will be allowed to be cultivated in the cleared area and farmers will be advised.

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