Estate Management and Business Development Company (EMBDC) chairman Uthara Rao says 2,000 acres of land have been provided to rice farmers in Bejucal, Central Trinidad. He has also described their complaints regarding 160 acres from which they are being evicted-which has been allocated for a housing development-as a "land grab".

Speaking in a telephone interview yesterday, Rao recalled that he met with the farmers' representative, Fazal Akaloo, of the group Nariva Farms Ltd, late last month, together with Permanent Secretary in the Agriculture Ministry Simeon Harewood and other EMBDC officials. He said Akaloo agreed that he would reap his crops within next three months and vacate the area.

Akaloo told the Express, however, that they did not agree to vacate the lands and they have not been given a written eviction notice from the EMBDC. He said Harewood decided the issue would go to a special committee which will decide what to do with the lands.

Rao said the 160 acres will be used for the Caroni Residential Community housing development as part of the EMBDC's mandate to develop a residential community earmarked for ex-Caroni (1975) Ltd workers. He said the farmers received 2,000 acres for rice farming with electricity, water and infrastructure, and a separate 2,000 acres were given to another Central rice-farming association.

Akaloo explained though that four years ago, Cabinet decided to allocate 4,000 acres of land to rice farmers, but during allocation they did not have all the acres in one area, and the farmers were moved around to different areas. He said the block of 160 acres was one of the areas they were advised to go to and plant rice, and after they developed the land they were told to move to another area.

Akaloo said Government should not be using agricultural lands for housing, adding the area's perennial flooding problem would only be exacerbated by the development of a housing scheme.

But pointing out that the farmers were illegally squatting on the lands, Rao said they were proceeding with the development based on a geological study of the area by the geological association and a University of the West Indies Land Capability Study conducted in September 2003, noting the land had been classified as suitable for land development for housing infrastructure.

He said the EMBDC has been preparing 22,000 acres of agricultural land from the former Caroni lands to be distributed in 30 agriculture estates of two-acre parcels each. He reported that 15,800 acres of land development was already completed and they have begun distribution.