Port-of-Spain: Agriculture Minister Vasant Bharath is denying reports in a the Express newspaper that he has given farmers the green light to squat or has told them that it is ok to squat, following a front page article to this effect.
A statement from the ministry today says that the ministry in no way condones this lawlessness.
The ministry says that it maintains the position that the state has failed the farmers in the aspect of land regularisation and expediting the process of lease applications.
The statement adds that the minister's remarks on the CCN TV6 Morning Edition on Tuesday that led to the article, were clear in this regard.
It says that farmers who have applied for leases and have not as yet received their legal documents are encouraged to continue engaging in production agriculture. It is in this context, the ministry says, that the minister's statement was made as it relates specifically to security of land tenure.
The ministry says all lease applications in the system will be dealt with expeditiously.
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