JOHN MYERS JR., Agriculture Coordinator
Senator Grant: There has been an unprecedented movement of lands out of agriculture, especially on the St. Catherine plains. - FILE
THE SPECIAL Select Committee of Parliament examining the use of agricultural lands wants the power of the Minister of Water and Housing, as the corporate sole under the Housing Act, to be repealed to prevent construction on agricultural lands.
The members of the committee agreed during a meeting at Gordon House yesterday that this was necessary to sustain agricultural production and maintain food security in light of the growing incidence of agricultural lands being used for housing developments across the island.
MINISTER RESPONSIBILITY
According to Section (3) of The Housing Act, "For the purposes of this Act the minister responsible for housing shall be a corporation sole by the name of the Minister of Housing and by that name shall have perpetual succession with a capacity to acquire, hold and dispose of land and other property of whatever kind."
Government committee member, Senator Professor Trevor Munroe, said the power of a single minister to override any other institution of the state in terms of the use of land for housing should have already been removed. He said it was already agreed that the Housing Act be amended to remove the power of the minister as a corporation sole, based on the recommendation of a task force which was set up by Parliament three years ago to investigate allegations of fraud in the Government's Operation Pride programme.
However, he said, "As far as I am aware, three years plus afterwards that act has not yet been amended to remove this power from the Minister of Housing."
He said the committee should recommend that the power of the Minister of Housing be removed immediately.
Senator Norman Grant, presi-dent of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) and committee chairman, lamented that there has been an unprecedented movement of lands out of agriculture, especially on the St. Catherine plains.
"I think that, to overrule an objection to take land out of agriculture and put into housing on the basis that (the Ministry of) Housing feels that's the way to go...is just not the type of thing we want to do," Senator Grant told The Gleaner after the meeting.
Senator Noel Monteith supported the recommendation but emphasised that the Minister of Agriculture should be more vigilant in cases where agricultural lands are being transferred for other uses. In fact, he said, "It is critical that we be extremely vigilant and protective of the lands that can be irrigated and are agricultural lands."
IRRIGATED LANDS UNDER THREAT
During the previous sitting of the committee on February 9, Milton Henry of the National Irrigation Commission, warned that irrigated lands were under threat of being overtaken by housing developments. He suggested that immediate steps be taken to prevent development on these lands.
Senator Munroe, however, noted that, while it was important that steps be taken to preserve land for agricultural use, it was also important that farmers have access to the necessary resources to be productive. Otherwise, he argued, it would only be guaranteeing poverty.
Quoting from a 2002 World Bank report, Senator Munroe said only nine per cent of all agricultural lands on the island had access to irrigation. He told the committee that the same report showed that there were 12 tractors for every 1,000 agricultural workers, while in Trinidad, there were 55 tractors for every 1,000 agricultural workers.
"I know the agricultural society has a scheme and is doing its best, but it requires much more in order to ensure that the equipment necessary to raise the levels of productivity ... be addressed as a matter of urgency," he stressed.
The committee is slated to meet for the final time and sign off on its report to Parliament on March 15.
