THE EDITOR, Sir:I AM most pleased to see the Amendment of the Produce Larceny Act has reached the select committee of the House of Representatives. The J.A.S. under my leadership has done everything possible for it to have reached that far, and I am optimistic that it will have a safe passage through the House of Representatives.
However, I wish to comment on two issues raised at the committee level and which you have highlighted in your editorial, namely Illiteracy and Higglers. It is far from being true that a large number of farmers are illiterate and can't cope with the writing of receipts.
Most of our farmers are literate; there are over 950 branches of J.A.S. in communities all over Jamaica that have leaders to help out the few that can't read. In every household there are more than one person who can sign and fill out a receipt, the farmer or his wife or his children. This does not pose a problem.
Secondly, our adult Educational Programme will address those cases who can't read. The indictment therefore is unfair, we need to appreciate the suffering the farmers are going through, and the need to support this legislation instead of dealing with the negatives.
The second point I wish to make is about our higglers. The farming community fully appreciates the invaluable service rendered by the higglers of Jamaica.
Without whom we would never be able to get our goods to the market. The higglers fully understand and appreciate what we are trying to achieve and the honest ones have nothing to fear.
There is, at the moment the unlawful possession Act which allows the police to stop the vehicle and place burden on the higglers or occupant to justify the source of the product. There is no harassment by the police under this law. We from the farming community do not envisage any real change with the receipt book.
The higglers will be able to purchase goods at reduced prices and the consumers will also share in the reduction of the prices. This will be possible because the farmers can reap more of the crops and sell at a reduced price e.g. a farmer now reaps six stems of plantain out of every ten stems.
He has to sell the six stems to cover the cost of production on ten. If the system works as planned, he will now be able to reap 8-9 stems out of every ten, far more than before, some of which is passed on to the buyer at a lower cost.
I hope this will shed a more positive light on the farming community, bearing in mind that all farmers are involved in the process.
I am, etc.,
A.A. BOBBY POTTINGER
manchovey@yahoo.com
Past President of Jamaica Agricultural Society.
Church Street,
Kingston.
Via Go-Jamaic
