A group of young men from Windy Hill, Arouca, have turned to agriculture in hope of removing the negative stigma associated with their community. Their initiative has caught the eyes of experienced farmers who willingly assist them in becoming more productive. Windy Hill/Edna Hill in Arouca is labelled as one of the crime hot spots on the East West Corridor.

However, this group, which calls itself the Windy Hill/Edna Hill farmers group, hopes to use agriculture as a motivator to keep young men out of crime. In the last six months a group of 40 young men came together and began to toil the land. Their success has been commendable. With everything there are challenges but for this group to be recognised as bona fide farmers is the greatest challenge.

Cordell Peters, one of the young farmers, says they are judged even before they are given a chance. 

“I am proud of where I am from. Despite the negatives my community is the best place to live.  We want to leave a legacy and we will ensure that this area will be the place everyone will want to visit,” he said. Peters left his job as a labourer in the construction sector a few months ago to pursue agriculture as a profession.

“When you work for people, it’s hard. cause you are stigmatised for where you live. Also in agriculture I am able to work on my own time and see the results of my hard work,” he said. Since the establishment of the group, youths in the areas have been showing interest in agriculture, Peters said.

“To us everything we have to fight for, even our farmer’s badge was a concern. The field officers did not want to visit our area, yet again because of the stigma,” he explained. Peters said since they became active members of the Agriculture Society of Trinidad and Tobago they have seen headway.

With dry season in its third month, Peters and his young farmers are faced with a water crisis. He said it was difficult for them to access water for their crops and livestock. They currently occupy about two acres of State land. 

“We use my car to fill barrels but this is not sufficient, we are asking for a grant for a water pump. The land is very close to a spring and if we get the pumps we will be able to produce more effectively during the dry season,” Peters said. So far the young farmers has seen successes in producing hot peppers, cucumbers, tilapia farming and by extension to that livestock and poultry.

“The younger ones look up to us, some also ask if we can give them jobs but until we have all the necessary requirements, especially water, we can’t hire our own,” Peters said. He believes he and the other farmers can assist to alleviate the shortage of local vegetables and reduce the food import bill.

“If we get all that is necessary for us, we can be sure to produce and help develop the shortage of food,” he said. However, the young men have been getting direct assistance from a director from the Agriculture Society of Trinidad and Tobago. 

Experienced farmer Frank Ali, who grows lettuce not too far from the young men, said he was willing to help. He said: “When I discovered these young men, I was amazed by their vigour and passion in agriculture.

“I was able to give them the encouragement and also show them the right way to enter into the sector. 

“I see these young men as the future, as they will continue the farming which has been seen as not attractive. They gave the sector hope. From the society’s point of view, I want these young men to get the assistance needed,” he said, adding:

“I am sure they can make the Windy Hill/Edna Hill community a viable food basket of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Despite a refusal by a woman to give evidence against her former husband charged with attempting to murder her, a jury found him guilty on Wednesday. Trevor Creft, who had been out on bail, was handcuffed and taken into custody to return on April 13 for mitigation and sentence. The victim, Tricia Anthony, 25, was not in the San Fernando Third Criminal Court when the nine-member jury gave its verdict after an hour of deliberations.

Anthony’s throat was slit and she was stabbed during the June 2009 incident which took place at her mother’s home. At the start of the trial before Justice Maria Wilson, Anthony said she did not wish to pursue the matter any further. She also claimed she could not recall the events on the day she was almost murdered.

Anthony said one of the reasons she did not want to give evidence was because she depended on Creft for financial support to care for their son. She said she also forgave him. She ,along with two other witnesses—her mother, Angela, and brother Ronald—were deemed to be hostile after they too claimed not to remember what transpired on that day. 

The mother and brother were at home during the incident 

In her evidence at the Siparia Magistrates’ Court, Anthony said Creft attacked her with a seven-inch knife, which resulted in her receiving injuries across her throat, lacerations to her chest and the right hand, leaving her fingers useless. As a result of the latter injury, she receives a disability grant.

State attorney Mauricia Joseph, however, read her evidence at the magistrates’ court and her statements to the police, along with the other two witnesses into evidence. Although she kept saying she could not remember what transpired, when Joseph asked her if she had forgiven Creft for slitting her throat and stabbing her, Anthony said she did.

Anthony testified in the magistrates’ court that she left Creft and moved in with her mother because he was abusive and would hit her. She said on the day of the incident Creft came to her mother’s house to get $100. When she went to give him the money, Anthony said Creft attacked her with the knife.

She claimed she grabbed the knife, but he pulled it away and tried to cut her neck. Anthony had said he held her in a chokehold and tried to stab her in her chest. She said she also got a vertical cut on her throat. Anthony said all she could remember before blacking out was the knife going through her neck. She spent two weeks at hospital. 

Anthony showed the jury the scars to her neck after she was asked to do so by the prosecutor. Joseph was assisted by attorney Brandon Sookoo while attorney Herbert Charles, instructed by Mosi Charles, represented Creft.

Four forestry officers were trapped and burnt while trying to extinguish a bush fire at Lady Chancellor Hill, St Ann’s, yesterday.

Three of them were treated for their injuries, while one of their colleagues remained in a critical condition at the Intensive Care Unit of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital suffering from third degree burns. According to reports, shortly after midday, eight officers from the Forestry Division responded to a bush fire off Lady Chancellor Road in St Ann’s. 

The officers, Keith Campbell, Darren Satram, Jamal Bain, Kemarle Carrington, Kishan Ramcharan and three others, went into the valley to attempt to douse the flames as they awaited assistance from fire officers. Campbell, the first to approach the area, was engulfed in flames as strong winds suddenly changed the course of the fire, the officers said. 

Satram, Bain and Carrington attempted to run away but were burned as the fire raced behind them. In an interview at the hospital yesterday, Ramcharan, one of the officers who managed to escape unhurt, recounted the incident. “It was unpredictable. We assessed the situation and say let us go and pat it down while we wait on the fire officers but that was a big mistake,” Ramcharan said. 

He said he was lucky to escape injury as he chose to run in another direction away from the fire. The officer said as they ran in different directions, they saw when Campbell threw himself to the ground as trained. “I just ran as fast as I could and used my rake to crawl up the cliff back to where we start from. We were helpless. All we could do was watch as the fire surrounded him,” he said. 

Ramcharan said he and his co-workers believed that Campbell would not survive the fire and were shocked when they saw him moving as fire officers who arrived on the scene began extinguishing the flames around him. “We thought he was gone for sure but then we see him moving his hands,” he said. 

Ramcharan and his colleagues who spoke briefly in an interview, believe that Campbell, the most experienced in fire suppression in their team, was able to escape possible death by throwing himself on the ground as soon as the fire spread around him.

While he sustained serious burns to more than 70 per cent of his body, the officers also suggested that Campbell’s respirator and water-filled backpack protected him to some degree. 

Unlike fire officers, the forestry workers do not have protective clothing. Ramcharan and the other officers, some of whom asked to remain unidentified, said that they have dealt with more than 200 forest fires in North Trinidad alone for the year.

“Almost 100 per cent of the fires we deal with are started by people. We do a lot of public awareness programmes but people do not seem to listen,” he said. Campbell and the other injured officers were visited by their families and Minister of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries Clarence Rambharat, last night.

Relatives of abducted teacher Keston Mahabir spent Good Friday praying for his safe return. 

It’s been five days since Mahabir, 26, was snatched outside his Pitiman Trace, Mc Bean Village, Couva, home. No ransom has been demanded and relatives said they were still unsure as to why Mahabir was snatched.

In an interview yesterday, sister Diane Mahabir said they were hoping to get word on his whereabouts. “We are all praying right now. We want him back home,” Diane wept. 

Police searched a forested area on Holy Thursday, after getting information that he was left stranded in the Central Range. 

Mahabir was the owner of Mahabir’s Educational Institute. 

He was abducted around 11.50 am on Monday. Police said two women, posing as if they were officials from the Education Ministry, came to Mahabir’s home to discuss registration of his school. Four people—three women and a man—who were detained by police in connection with the crime remained in police custody yesterday. 

Anyone with information on Mahabir’s whereabouts can contact Crime Stoppers at 800 TIPS.

A La Horquetta man was shot dead at a neighbourhood garage yesterday.

Investigators identified the victim as Sherwin Hall, 26.

He was shot dead at a garage in Phase IV, police said.

Around 2.30 pm, residents heard loud explosions and later found Hall’s body with multiple gunshot wounds. They also saw a car speeding away from the scene.

Hall was employed as a freelance outside broadcast operator with the Guardian Media Ltd. His co-workers expressed shock and condolences after learning of his murder.

Police officers led by Insp Mark Maraj, Homicide Bureau investigators, and crime scene unit officers responded. The body was taken to the Forensic Science Centre for an autopsy which will be done on Tuesday.

Chicken farmers in Tableland and New Grant have started shutting down operations because of a severe water shortage.

This is as inadequate rainfall and dwindling water supplies have forced the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to impose restrictions on the use of water hoses and pressure washers.

In an interview on Tuesday, chicken farmer Rampersad Dhanraj said he was rearing his last batch of chickens for this season until he could supplement his water supply.

“I have to rear 10,000 chickens for the month and right now the chicks are one week old. We used up the last set of water from the ponds yesterday, so we will be forced now to shut down the pens if we do not get water.”

At New Grant in the vicinity of the Enchanted Gardens Complex, fields of citrus were yellowed and drying because of the scorching heat. An irrigation pond nearby was so low that bushes could be seen growing from the centre of the pond.

Two other farmers, who rear 30,000 heads of chicken, also said they were finding it difficult to maintain operations because of the heat. 

Nutrina Division has 300 chicken farmers contracted to grow broilers exclusively for the company. Officials were not in office on Thursday to say whether the water shortage would affect their supplies to consumers.

Meanwhile, agricultural economist Omardath Maharaj said it was time a water management committee be set up to deal with water shortages in T&T.

“It is not the first time that we are experiencing this prolonged dry spell. Farmers do not have the resilience to handle climatic change but if we are talking about substantiality for farmers, we have to build their capacity,” Maharaj said.

He added that 80 per cent of water is used up in agriculture and T&T needed to have a better water management system if food production is to be boosted.

“In America they give farmers priority over water. If we set up this water management committee, there will be greater efficiency in the use of water,” Maharaj added.

Car wash owners also unhappy

Meanwhile, car wash owners also complained of feeling the brunt of the shortage saying the ban on water hoses was putting them out of business.

Owner of Noyz Boyz Car Wash, Ravi Samaroo, said using buckets was slowing down his operations.

“It used to take about 20 minutes with a pressure washer to wash a car properly, now it takes us 40 minutes and the underside of the car is still not as clean as the pressure washer would have gotten it,” Samaroo said. 

When the T&T Guardian visited his business place in Hermitage, San Fernando, Samaroo said business has also slowed down.

“If it’s taking you longer and people can’t get what they are accustomed to, business will decline. I am using four barrels right now and I have to say using a bucket is wasting much more water than a pressure washer would have used.”

However, a visit to government-owned Vehicle Management Corporation of T&T (VMCOTT) in San Fernando, showed business as usual with the automated car wash.

The wash bay is now open 24 hours a day, everyday.

One employee said in light of the restrictions, VMCOTT has cut down on about 30 per cent of its water usage. The employee said the operations will continue unless WASA advises VMCOTT to stop.

More info

From midnight on March 18, WASA banned the use of hose pipes for watering private gardens and washing private motor cars in accordance with the Water and Sewerage Act Chapter 54:40 of the Laws of Trinidad and Tobago.

Customers were notified that under the act, the authority has the responsibility for administering the supply of water and promoting the conservation and proper use of water resources. The act bans farmers from taking, using or diverting water from a reservoir, water course, conduit, pipe or other apparatus belonging to the authority.

The Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) has expressed satisfaction with statements made by Prime Minister Keith Rowley that he does not support behaviour which discriminates against individuals.

However, the commission is hoping that a proposal submitted by them to the Attorney General’s Office in 2014 to include sexual orientation as a status for protection against discrimination will soon come before Parliament. 

On March 16, in response to a question posed by CNC3’s journalist Golda-Lee Bruce on whether the Prime Minister was okay with people who claim to be discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation having no recourse under the Equal Opportunity Act Chap 22:03, Rowley said he did not support discrimination against citizens.

In a press release issued yesterday, the EOC stated that this act prohibits discrimination against individuals on seven status grounds (race, ethnicity, religion, sex, marital status, origin and disability) but sexual orientation is expressly excluded from protection.

Although the act includes sex as a status ground, Section 3, the interpretation section, provides that sex does not include sexual preference or orientation. 

“The EOC is very encouraged to note that the Prime Minister promised to revisit any laws that undermine the constitutional right of equality of treatment,” the release stated. 

The release further stated that a proposal was submitted to the Attorney General’s Office in October 2014 to include sexual orientation as a status ground for protection against discrimination. 

“Previous proposals that the commission had submitted to the Attorney General (for example, to include age as a status ground and to expand the definition of disability to include certain ailments such as HIV/Aids, cancer and multiple sclerosis) were forwarded to the Law Reform Commission for research and reporting, but we are not aware of any action being taken with respect to the proposal of October 2014.” 

The EOC said they look forward to urgent action being taken and to the drafting and tabling of the necessary amendment bill before Parliament.

Denouncing oppression and calling for a new social order, former independent senator and Presbyterian Reverend Daniel Teelucksingh says world recession should not be used as an excuse for lawlessness.

During his Good Friday sermon at the Susamachar Presbyterian Church in San Fernando yesterday, Teelucksingh said the plight of thousands of retrenched workers must serve as a wake-up call to T&T.

Saying the crosses are real, Teelucksingh said legislation to protect workers remains inadequate.

“Society asks what were the State and the Labour Movement doing for the past 30 years? For husbands, wives and children crucifixion horrors and hopelessness are obvious. There is no pay package, rising food prices and no retrenchment benefits because of inadequacy of the Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act 1985,” Teelucksingh said.

He added, “We are mindful of the crucifixion of the working class, those 644 workers at ArcelorMittal who are on the breadline, retrenched. Also, at the Pt Fortin Highway project, employment was terminated for 860 workers with Construtora OAS. 

How could we allow this to happen, that today workers must carry unnecessary crosses. We give tax breaks and concessions to multinational corporations to exploit our natural resources. They made great wealth for themselves, ignoring environment issues, and they exploited the local labour force,” he said.

Teelucksingh also said that families of crime victims also know the pain of crucifixion.

“The 106 murders for the past three months are not confined to any locality. All of T&T constitute the killing fields. Crime is endemic and more deadly than the Zika (virus). AK-47 rifles seemed to be the preferred instrument of murder. Crucifixion experts include dealers in narcotics, and the drug trade created more crosses to surpass the horror of ancient Calvary,” he said.

Saying T&T has too many cruel cross-builders and executioners who target defenceless children, Teelucksingh noted that the Children’s Authority received reports of 4,158 cases of child abuse in a nine-month period.

“Crucifixion also continues to pollute our social environment. Crosses are real where there is domestic violence, gender discrimination, denial of rights, and white collar crimes. Let us not find a bobolee in recession. Do not blame world recession for all our crosses,” Teelucksingh said.

Saying that there are thousands of good citizens who struggle against cruelty, Teelucksingh called for collective responsibility in dealing with the social problems T&T faces.

“We must resolve in family, school, civil society, business and the private sector and the political directorate to courageously denounce all forms of oppression at any level in society,” he said. 

He called on citizens to use Easter as the start of a new social order. 

President Anthony Carmona yesterday called on citizens to reject revenge and recreate within our lives love and the application of mercy during Easter.

This was the message Carmona relayed to the nation in his Easter message on the occasion of the celebration and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Carmona stated that the resurrection of Jesus Christ bears the motif of rebirth, renewal and eternal hope and, even though one may be a non-believer or doubting Thomas, we must all share love in the spirit of humanity. 

Carmona said this rebirth must make us strong. 

“This is not to say that as a society we do not feel down and out and even despondent when we confront in our society man’s inhumanity to man. There continues to be a growing crisis in defining and acting out true manhood against the backdrop of the killings and mayhem that occur from time to time. Is that pattern of manhood defining what Trinidad and Tobago is?” he asked.

The President also appealed to the nation not to despair, as all broken things can be made whole. 

“We must believe and have an abiding faith that all bad men are salvageable and this is made possible not only through social transformative initiatives but also through the invocation and power of prayer.” 

Noting that Pope Francis had deemed 2016 an ecclesiastical year of mercy and forgiveness, Carmona stated that Easter was a time “to recreate within our lives the love and application of mercy and reject outright that unholy sanction we often act out and it is called revenge.” 

He pleaded for individuals to show compassion and kindness to others throughout the year. 

“We must therefore have and nurture a disciple’s tongue to respond to the negatives that often rule and dictate our thoughts and daily lives. We must eradicate in ourselves the primitive emotions we resort to and our social indifference to loss of life and therefore loss of love. The intelligent and formally educated are failing us. 

They must be more responsible and caring and must all wake up to the realisation that as intelligent and formally educated men and women, we must stop fooling the ignorant and the not so well-informed.” 

Carmona stressed that our national dialogue must not be confrontational in attempting to solve our nation’s problems, but open, frank, inclusive, honest and even spiritual. 

“Leadership and humility therefore must always walk hand in hand because genuine leadership is about relentless and selfless service. We further need a reconciliation among us all grounded in mercy and forgiveness. Mercy and forgiveness are not exclusive to men and women of the cloth, and if true reconciliation takes place in our hearts, the desired impact of that reconciliation will be judged and assessed by our deeds and actions and not our words.”

Delays in the construction of the University of the West Indies south campus have nothing to do with money.

So said Pro Vice Chancellor and principal of UWI St Augustine campus, Prof Clement Sankat. 

In an interview on Thursday, Sankat said the delays were not occurring because of non-payment of funds.

“This has nothing to do with money. We are not over-budget but we are out of time,” Sankat said.

Despite the slow pace of construction, Sankat remains hopeful that the campus will be ready for the new academic year in September. Already roads leading to the campus have been paved. 

The moot court, administration building and law faculty buildings have been completed. The library is in an advanced stage at completion while the student union services building, dormitories with 100 rooms and recreational facilities are almost complete. The car parks have also been paved.

Sankat said he was not satisfied with the pace of construction by the main sub-contractor.

“I don’t want to call names but I am definitely not happy with the pace of works and the performance of the design/build contractor,” Sankat said. 

He added, “I am hoping to enrol students in the new semester in September/October if that is possible.”

Saying the construction was a major project built on 150-acres of land, the UWI principal said it will serve as a satellite campus offering a multitude of programmes including degrees in technology and electrical engineering.

“This campus is being built on a green field site on new infrastructure. We have to put in roads, lights, water and sewerage facilities. I have a duty to put people in a safe and comfortable environment. This will be a full service campus,” Sankat said. He noted that the campus will have a cricket field, football facilities and a swimming pool.

“There is an old saying that good things don’t come easily and sometimes you have to be patient but while you are patient you never lose sight of the goal post. You have to work hard. Our objective is clear. We have to finish it and have it ready for the staff and students,” Sankat added. Asked when last he visited the site, Sankat said he visits regularly and receives frequent reports about the pace of construction.

Meanwhile, former Minister of Tertiary Education Fazal Karim said he continues to be concerned about the slow pace of construction. 

He said the main contractor China Jiang Su, which was selected through the procurement process, outlined by the UWI St Augustine campus, had an obligation to ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget.

“The project is managed by Acquitas and in the periodic reports that we have received from the project manager, the main contractor was frequently advised to ramp up their human resources so as to complete the project within time and budget under the supervision of the UWI St Augustine campus,” Karim said.

He added that the project was supposed to be completed by January 2016.

“I am hopeful that it will be fully completed before the end of this academic year to allow for the registration and enrolment of students for the 2016/2017 academic year. Many students and particularly those in the central and southern areas are anxiously awaiting the opening of this facility to attend classes, thereby reducing their costs of commuting or renting,” Karim said.

Saying the campus investment has the potential to generate job opportunities and entrepreneurial activities, Karim said it can also boost foreign exchange through international students.

A 52-year-old former Republic Bank Ltd employee, who developed an incurable respiratory disease after being exposed to paint fumes following renovation works at one of the bank’s two branches in Tunapuna, will now receive a little over $2.5 million in compensation after the bank withdrew its appeal against the payout. 

The bank indicated its position on Thursday as the appeal of the case brought by Keith Malchan, of Tunapuna, was due to begin before the Court of Appeal. 

In April 2014, High Court Judge Joan Charles ruled that he successfully proved his case against his employer, although medical evidence in the case showed that he was predisposed to the illness. 

His lawyer, Larry Lalla, had argued that although his client had a risk of contracting the disease, the bank was still liable, as it was his employer’s negligence that caused Malchan to be exposed to the stimuli which triggered the disease.

Lalla also argued that the bank should be held liable for the discomfort Malchan suffered through contracting the disease, even though it was not possible for the bank’s management to reasonably foresee it as a consequence of its renovation works at the branch. 

The disease, Sjogren Syndrome, is a chronic autoimmune condition in which the body’s white blood cells destroy the exocrine glands, which produce saliva and tears. Symptoms include swollen salivary glands, dryness of the eye and mouth, joint pains, persistent dry cough and prolonged fatigue. There is no known cure.

Charles had awarded Malchan $400,000 for his pain, suffering and loss of amenities, $1,275,552 representing his loss of income and an annual profit-sharing benefit and $230,098 for his past and future medical bills. 

As it withdrew the appeal, the bank will now have to pay Malchan 12 per cent interest on the sums awarded for the almost two-year period between High Court judgment and the withdrawal of the appeal. 

About the case

​According to the evidence in his case, Malchan, who has been employed with the bank for more than 30 years, had gone on vacation in August 2006 and when he returned to work at the Tunapuna West branch of the bank in the middle of the month, the building was undergoing renovations. 

Malchan claimed that on his first day of work he complained of having headaches and sinus issues because of the strong scent of paint in the building. Despite his complaints, he said, he was instructed that he could only leave work when the bank was closed to customers. Malchan claimed he was forced to work under the conditions at the bank for a week before being offered a transfer to the bank’s other branch in Tunapuna. 

His transfer could not be immediately processed because his wife was already employed at that branch and the transfer would be contrary to the bank’s policy on the employment of spouses. Malchan’s claim of being forced to remain under the conditions was opposed by the bank’s representative Hilton Hyland, who claimed that Malchan was allowed to leave work early during that week and he refused and chose to complete his workday. 

After completing work that week, Malchan went on sick leave during which time he went to his personal doctors and was diagnosed with the syndrome which left him with an almost 40 per cent permanent-partial disability. 

His condition was later confirmed by the company’s doctor, Sonia Roache, which led to his being placed on leave with pay. He has not returned to work since. 

In his claim, Malchan claimed that because of the high risk of exacerbating his condition, his mobility and activity level have significantly decreased. “As it is I am unable to take part in normal play with my children or to participate in normal family activities...I oftentimes sit and watch them play, overcome by sadness,” Malchan deposed. 

He also claimed that the condition has seriously affected his relationship with his wife. He said: “My disease has affected the activities that I enjoy with my wife, as I can no longer be intimate with her.”

Malchan also claimed he now required life-long treatment of the disease inclusive of doctor visits four times a year, as well as a daily regimen of a plethora of different medications. 

Anthony Ackee, the man who racked up eight charges after he failed to stop while driving under the influence of alcohol in February, will be sentenced by a San Fernando magistrate on April 8.

According to a police report, around 11.44 pm on February 22, PC Richard Ramcharan was on duty at Cipero Street, San Fernando, when he tried to stop a vehicle driven by Ackee.

Ramcharan flashed his torchlight and put up one hand, but instead of stopping, Ackee sped off. Ramcharan had to scamper off the roadway to avoid being run over.

Ramcharan pursued Ackee but the fleeing driver breached a traffic sign, making a right turn at the corner of Cipero and Rushworth Street, forcing vehicles with the right of way to clear a path for him.

Eventually, Ackee was stopped after he nearly crashed into the police vehicle.

But even after he was confronted, Ackee sat in his car, a green BMW sedan and refused to exit the vehicle.

And when Ramcharan tried to remove him he resisted by pulling away forcibly.

During an interview with Ackee, the officer detected a strong scent of alcohol and asked Ackee to submit to a field sobriety test.

Ackee failed the test with a reading of 103 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath. 

A second test showed a reading of 99 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath.

Ackee was then arrested and formally charged.

Last month, he pleaded guilty to all charges and will reappear in court for sentencing on April 8.

Official minutes from an executive meeting which took place at the Prison’s Administration Building, Phillip Street, Port-of-Spain, on January 27, 2015, has revealed that prisons officials were aware of plans for a jail break by inmates at the Port-of-Spain prison. The T&T Guardian has in its possession a copy of the minutes. But while the executives were aware of the escape plan, they failed to put security measures in place to prevent it or to alert the authorities. 

Six months later, on July 24, people in the city were on edge after the prison break actually took place. With handguns and a grenade, three men broke free from Port-of-Spain prison in a dramatic episode that left a police officer murdered, a prisons officer wounded, two of the escapees killed, and another one on the run for hours before being killed by a notorious gang in Laventille. Three prisons officers were later suspended. In the minutes, under paragraph 4.0 labelled Security, subheading the ‘Alleged Escape Plan’, it was revealed that Assistant Commissioner (William) Alexander reported that a phone call was received which indicated that four inmates were planning to escape in a car at the car park.

According to the minutes, “Mr Alexander reported that a phone call received by the gate-keeper POSP indicated that four inmates are planning to escape in a car at the car park.

“He added that collaboration with ex-agencies suggested that the call came from within the prison, a phone was seized and being checked.”

The document revealed that senior officers who attended the meeting included former prisons commissioner Conrad Barrow, deputy commissioners Ronald Morgan and Sterling Stewart (now commissioner), assistant commissioners William Alexander, Michael Walker, Cecil Duke and Chander Sinanan, and senior superintendents Gerard Wilson, Dane Clarke, Thomas Espinoza, Fize Khan and Dennis Pulchan.

There was no note or mention in the minutes of what measures they intended to put in place to deal with the possible jail break.

However, following the jail break, three prisons officers were suspended—Lancelot Duntin, Mervyn Pierre and Lovell Wolfe. The men are accused of discrediting the reputation of the Prison Service by failing to act promptly on instructions contributing to the escape of the men, plus the shooting death of police officer PC Sherman Maynard who responded to the jail break.

And spearheading the investigation is Assistant Commissioner of Prisons Dennis Pulchan, one of the executives who was present at the January 27 meeting in which the escape plan was discussed.

When told about the document, the Prisons Officers’ Association expressed disgust over the circumstances and called for an investigation into why the executives failed to act even though they had the relevant information.

General Secretary of the Prisons Officers’ Association (POA) Gerard Gordon said he was very surprised to hear about the minutes.

One of the officers, who spoke to the T&T Guardian on condition of anonymity, said that even though senior officials were aware of the plan they did not discuss this with the junior officers on duty at the prison.

“Junior officers were not made aware of it, including the ones who were suspended,” one officer said.

Stewart: Prisons probe completed, sent to Public Service Commission

Prisons Commissioner Sterling Stewart said the investigation by the Prison Service has been completed and was forwarded to the Public Service Commission.

He said he did not have any information on the police investigation or where it had reached.

“A decision was already made and a decision taken. This is a criminal matter and anyone culpable will face the full brunt of the law and what is revealed,” he said. 

When asked about the executive’s discussion on the escape, Stewart said: “We keep executive meetings all the time and any information we come across we discuss.” 

He said the executive will address any information as a concern. 

“There will always be talk or rumors of an escape or threat to officers on hit list. All of this would happen and if we have information we have to investigate to know its credibility. We are dealing with a high volatile environment and we will continue to review the evidence base to treat with the situation. Anyone would want to escape from the prison,” he said. 

Dillion: Prisons have to answer that

National Security Minister Edmund Dillon said he did not have any updates on the police investigation which started eight months ago. “If you have information on that, I would appreciate that and if they knew about it,” he said. When asked why nothing was done by the prisons executive who had the information, Dillon said: “I don’t know, they have to answer that.”

What took place

Last week, prisons sources said the three suspended men were only in “charge” that day and were in no way near the escapees who were in the visiting room. 

A statement taken from a prisons officer, sources said, stated that around 12.05 pm on July 27, an inmate warned senior prisons officers that the two men were “planning something.”

“In the prison, if a prisoner give you information on something you take it serious,” the officer said.

Prisons officers said that about 20 minutes later, around 12.25 pm, one of the suspended officers received a call warning them that two of the prisoners—Hassan Atwell and Christopher ‘Monster’ Selby should not be together in the visiting room. But it was “already too late and both of the men were down there already. They did not even give a reason.

“We can’t just stop a man from having his visit. We were thinking it must be some fight between the inmates or maybe they want to stab somebody. We were not looking for a gun or escape,” the officer said.

Another officer said, “The prisons officers who were to search the men are still on duty and unaccountable.” 

Statements taken from eyewitnesses, including inmates, revealed that an inmate saw the escapees brandishing firearms while inside the prison, one of the officers said. 

“The men (escapees) were waiting in the visiting area and did not get the canteen bag. So they did not get the firearms there. They did not go outside. The men there came from within the main prison with the gun. The man (prisons officer) who’s responsible for their escape still working in the prison.”

However, it is unclear why the escapees were not searched and the weapons discovered before they were brought into the visiting area to see relatives.

Officers attempted to move quickly but the inmates were already together in the visiting room. They then made their escape, he said.

One of the prisons officers said it was brought to his attention by senior prisons officers that soon after the jail break, a high-powered meeting was held with three former ministers of the People's Partnership government and other stakeholders.

“They were told (name withheld) to suspend seven prisons officers. It didn’t matter who. 

“We want justice. We heard that they were pushing the suspension before the elections. 

“They bargaining with officers’ lives and sitting in position,” an officer said.

THE ESCAPEES

Allan ‘Scanny’ Martin, Hassan Atwell and Christopher ‘Monster’ Selby escaped from the prison.

Prisons officer Leon Rouse was shot and wounded. PC Sherman Maynard was killed in the fracas.

Prisoner Martin was killed, and Hassan Atwell was killed by members of the Rastacity gang after hiding out in Port-of-Spain. 

Selby, 30, surrendered himself to officers at the Barataria Police Station hours later.

He was subsequently charged with ten offences including the murder of PC Maynard.

Senior forester II, Keith Campbell was a well-respected, resourceful and humble man who will be missed dearly by his colleagues in the Forestry Division.

Campbell 56, succumbed to injuries he sustained during a forest fire on Friday at Lady Chancellor Hill, St Ann’s.

Co-worker Kishan Ramcharan, a Forester I, who worked with Campbell in the division since 2003, described the event as “a complete horror.”

He said Campbell remained in the raging fire for close to 30 minutes as he and other workers looked on in tears, unable to help.

Ramcharan said, “I never experienced anything so devastating and terrifying in my life.

“This is my third year of fighting fires on the Northern Range.

“This is something I will not want anybody to witness.”

Five of them—Campbell, woodsmen Jamal Bain, Kemarlee Carrington, Kenya Duprey and Ramcharan responded to the call.

Forester I, Darren Satram, who was not part of the team, rushed from another fire to offer assistance and received minor injuries. He was stabilised and released from hospital on Friday. 

Up to yesterday, Bain remained hospitalised after suffering severe burns on his stomach and upper leg; while Carrington, 24, was treated for smoke inhalation and burns to his feet. He is expected to be released soon.

Forestry worker: 

People are careless, reckless

An upset Ramcharan, who works at the North West Forestry Division, said it was sad to know that they put out so much effort and risked their lives, yet still people were so lackadaisical, careless and reckless.

He said while they did not know for certain how the fire started, there was rumour that the fire started in “a backyard burning of someone’s rubbish.”

“But you always need proof and that’s why everyone gets away. The fines need to increase from $1,500 to something really drastic because apart from surrounding buildings, this also damages the eco-system.”

He said they fight forest fires and not bush fires. Forest fires are based on elevation with hills and forests, while bush fires were on cane land or flat lands in low-lyings areas. 

He said Chancellor Hill was a ridge that is cut within a mountain, making the fire a forest fire. 

‘Get out!, Get out!’

Yesterday, he remembered Campbell as being a hardworker and recounted Friday’s events which led to his death and the injuries of his colleagues.

Ramcharan said Campbell was well-experienced in fighting fires and had a wealth of knowledge of fires habits and how fires operated in specific types of terrains. 

He said, Keith was more or less on supervision duties but “everyone lends a helping hand in trying to suppress fires.” They arrived on the scene around 1 pm and conducted a fire assessment but decided it was best to wait on the Fire Service.

On realising the fire had somewhat cooled down, they ventured in “since nothing was burning as much.”

It was Campbell who went in first, equipped with full safety gear and a backpack water pump.

Ramcharan said he then went in with his fire rake which Campbell advised him to use. Campbell was about 100 metres away and in his sight.

Bain was also inside the forest. But as fate would have it, the winds intensified and it was suddenly “a furnace of fire blazing.”

Ramcharan said, “From a distance, the fire was raging from the valley and our drivers on the hills started screaming, get out! get out!”

He used the fire rake to pull himself out of the precipice and when he got to the top, he saw Bain badly burnt and screamed out for Campbell who was trapped.

Satram then arrived on the scene and was joined by Carrington and Duprey who attempted to head down and await rescue from the Fire Service and ambulance who arrived ten minutes later.

Ramcharan said, “I was in a state of shock and disbelief. When they finally got to Campbell and I saw him, he was moving his head just a bit.”

He said Campbell was a dynamic human being with a range of skills and one of the best officers he had worked with. 

Family mum

When the Sunday Guardian visited Campbell’s family home at #301 Serbian Avenue, Pine Haven Gardens, D’Abadie yesterday, a male relative would only say, “The family is declining all opportunities to speak with anyone and the media. 

“Please talk to the ministry.”

When asked which ministry, the young man, looked out the burglar-proofing, with his head framed by a curtain, and repeated, “Please speak with the ministry.”

Earlier in the day, staff at the Belgrove’s Funeral Chapel, Tacarigua, confirmed that members of the Campbell family had been there, but had left after finalising funeral arrangements for their loved ones.

The Campbell family was dealt a double blow as Keith’s mother died on Friday after a battle with cancer. 

After he learnt of the news on Friday, he put his work in front and ventured into the blaze. 

Forest Division’s fire 

response activity restricted

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat, via his Facebook page said the ministry will offer all the necessary assistance to the injured workers.

He was with Campbell’s wife and other relatives when he died. 

He said instructions were given to the Conservator of Forests to restrict the Forestry Division’s fire response activities to fire watch only, until the ministry fully understood the circumstances of Friday’s events and the lessons learnt. 

Reminders to the public

• Be responsible

• Properly dispose cigarette butts

• Fire trace the area if you live close to the foothills or on mountains

• Burning without a permit is an offence which carries a penalty of $1,500 and six months imprisonment

• Dec 1-June 30 is designated fire season and during this period a fire permit is required for the use of any outdoor fire

• Call the Fire Prevention Unit, Forestry Division at 225-3846/2253705 to report forest fires.

(with reporting by 

Valdeen Shears-Neptune)

President of the T&T Fire Service Association Leo Ramkissoon says workers in the Forestry Division need to be commended for their hard work and dedication in the fight to eradicate bush fires. 

He said it was “really sad” to learn of the death of senior forester Keith Campbell and the injured workers. 

“It is a real heartbreaker that one of the workers has perished and the association sends its condolences to the family of the victim and the injured workers. It is really sad.”

Ramkissoon said forestry workers and others who assist in the eradication drive were self-motivated. 

In an interview yesterday, he said, “They have minimal equipment in comparison to the T&T Fire Service. They have minimal firefighting gear.”

He said he believed that if Campbell was wearing the correct personal protective equipment and clothing, it may have helped in preserving his life. 

“Clearly he would not have sustained that amount of burns had he been wearing the gear.”

Campbell was said to have suffered over 70 per cent burns over his body.

However, Ramkissoon said if those workers were being asked to assist fire officers in fighting fires at the forest level, they ought to be given the right equipment.

He said, “Every year I see them go up there and they have these little water tanks on their backs and they’re trying. It is amazing to see the efforts these guys are making.”

The Fire Service has so far responded to over 400 bush fire calls for the past three months.

He said bush fires covered the Northern Range and also affected central and southern Trinidad. 

He made an appeal to those who may be involved in setting fires, whether they were planters, hunters or those who practicing the slash and burn technique to refrain from doing so because it was illegal and unethical.

“To the public, I ask that you all make an effort to become aware of what how your actions are affecting others and the environment. We ought to be a lot more cautious as to how we go about our daily routine.”

Ramkissoon said not enough was being done to raise public awareness and also called for amendments and enforcement of the law. (RKR)

In less than one school term, Jordan Adams was suspended at least five times. He spent as many days in school as he spent out of school on suspension. 

Fighting, smoking, drinking, gambling, breaking classes, you name it, Adams has done it, both in and outside of the school’s premises. In Form Three, the teenager, who attends the Sangre Grande Secondary School, was charged for possession of a weapon with the intent to cause wounding after police foiled the imminent clash of school gangs due to ongoing rivalry. 

Explaining why he was convicted for carrying a cutlass two years ago, Adams said it was because of a gang dispute. While the gangs never had names, they were identified by the colour bandanas a person at the school would wear. If someone dared to wear a different colour it was considered a disrespect and gangs would end up in a fight over the issue. 

“A scene had play off and a lunch time we hear they (rival gang) was swinging by the school that evening. We know they would have been armed with weapons like cutlass, ice picks, knives and we had none. We get searched at the school gates daily. So that day I break school, jumped the school wall and went to get a cutlass.”

Walking back to the school that evening strapped with the weapon and in the company of three other boys, police approached them. Adams remembered running away and ditching the blade. He was held and the blade was recovered. He was charged and spent three days at YTC before being placed on a three-year bond. 

“Inside there not no bed of roses, you can’t rock back like home. People will just take your food if someone brings for you, or you have to share with them. I didn’t eat the entire time I was there, the food was sour and taste bad. All the bad boy I bad boy, I can’t sleep inside there.” 

Now 16 and approaching his CSEC examinations, the young man said those days are now behind him. It is not the life he sees for himself anymore. The peer pressure he admitted that he once succumbed to effortlessly, is what he now struggles to put to an end daily. 

“It was all just peer pressure really, my friends doing it, so I doing it. But I realise all this friend thing and everything that was going on wasn’t for me. So I just branch off.”

Because he often found himself in trouble with the school authorities or the law, Adams was sent frequently to a programme in the Sangre Grande community called Caring Intervention for Troubled Youth (City) to be rehabilitated.

City is a partnership between north eastern educational district representatives and the T&T Police Service which caters for suspended students from Matelot to Manzanilla, Sangre Grande to Arima.

Representatives of the City programme and his mother said he was even told to leave at one point by one of the co-ordinators who felt that he was not changing. Now he is one of their more progressive cases. He said City was responsible for opening up a lot of doors for him. He learned how to communicate better with people and talk more openly with others when previously he would have kept to himself. He joked, “Before the programme I wouldn’t be talking to you, I wouldn’t be here today.”

The teen advised other youths to stay away from bad company, “It worries me to see my soldiers fighting. Each fight will only make others want to retaliate and keep up that cycle. Just keep to yourself, be normal and keep on a good path. At the end of the day, it’s their choice, but if they want to change, they have to make the decision, say it, and stick to it.”

Adams is a work in progress. His mother, Delia Adams, said he still has some temper problems but has improved tremendously compared to previous years, and she was very happy about that. 

“He still has to make adjustments. I feel I would have had to identify his body by now. He is a fighter and doesn’t back down and I would not have been able to deal with something like that.

“It was horrible,” she continued, “he used to get all those suspensions, five a term. It used to affect my work because I couldn’t keep asking for so much time off. It was embarrassing but more than that, it was devastating when Jordan didn’t listen, it was scary I could not get through to him or get him to open up.”

Delia said the City programme has been working well for her second born and praises it for all the changes she has seen in him.

The mother of six, the youngest four months old, advised parents not to give up on their children.

“Keep reaching out to them. If you close that door they will only go to the people you’re trying to get them to turn away from. We feel shame, yes, but don’t give up, stand up. If you turn your backs they have no one else and that is even scarier.” 

The 38-year-old mother said she talks to her son very often now, “I give him more of a hearing as well, I tell him to be who you are. Don’t try to fit in, just be you.”

Money is hard to come by and Adams tells of days he has gone without food, but he is determined not to turn to the streets and sell drugs to make ends meet.

For now, he takes small plastering jobs on weekends, a trade he learnt from his older brother.

Adams said he likes agriculture and planting various crops. He plans to work and save some money to buy farming equipment and make a living off the land when he completes his examinations later this year.

“My aim is to do something with land, plant patchoi, lettuce or anything really. I like agriculture and being outside there. I will do that.”
 

A bush fire raged in an empty lot of land obliquely opposite Pauline Lum Fai’s home at Henry Street, Orange Valley, close to where the decomposing body of her six-year-old son Sean Luke was found ten years ago.

The red flames shot high into the air. A reflection of the rage in Lum Fai’s heart as ten years have passed and she’s yet to get justice for her son’s death.

“Is right there, about 300 yards away as I glance across, that is what I have to deal with every day,” said Lum Fai as she spoke with us days before the anniversary of her son’s death.

She was 43 when he was “slaughtered like a lamb” and today, at 53, a decade later, Lum Fai is still struggling to come to terms with the death of her “baby”. She said “my son’s blood is crying out for justice. Ten years and nothing has happened, where is the justice for me? 

“I probably will die and will not get any justice,” she said.

On March 26, 2006, life changed dramatically for Lum Fai. She had just finished cooking a lunch of rice, dhal (split peas) and curried duck. Sean had taken a shower and sat down to eat lunch with Lum Fai. She said when he did not eat all the food, “I told him I putting it in the oven for you for later.” According to Lum Fai, she and Sean went to take their usual Sunday afternoon nap around 12.30 pm.

“Sean was rolling his corgi car on my arm, he playful you know, and I fell asleep.”

She did not know anything for the next hour and a half, she said.

She never budged when Sean got off the bed, opened the door and went outside. Lum Fai dismissed talk that she was “drunk or had taken drugs” that Sunday afternoon. She said one newspaper (not the Guardian) reported that, but claimed “it is not true.” 

So what would account for the fact that she was not awakened by any noise Sean would have made? She said, “I was extremely tired. I had washed and cleaned and cooked before we went to take the usual Sunday sleep. Normally I would hear noise, but I did not hear anything that day.”

Lum Fai lives with the regret “that I did not hear any noise to wake up.” But her bigger regret is that she left the United States of America and returned to Trinidad where her son met his death.

“Is years I have been coping with blame because I came back to Trinidad and my son was butchered.” 

Lum Fai had left Trinidad in 1996 to live in New York. Sean was born on August 17, 1999, at the Lincoln Hospital in Bronx. She hated life in New York, she said. “I found it too confining, I wanted Sean to grow up free, free to ride a bike, fly a kite, go out without fear.” When Sean was two and a half years old, “still in diapers, I brought him back to Trinidad.” 

Sean grew up as she wanted, with the many freedoms children living in close-knit communities such Orange Valley enjoy. Playing cricket and football, running to the neighbour’s house, flying kite and just “liming” outside. 

“He was a loving child who had a lot of fun,” said Lum Fai. But less than four years after their return to Trinidad, Sean’s life was brutally snuffed out. “That is the worse part for me, I bring my son back to get killed,” Lum Fai said.

Sean’s father, Daniel, who had separated from Lum Fai long before their return to Trinidad, blamed her for their son’s death. But in her defence, she said his father was supposed to take him the weekend he was killed, “but he never called.” 

Lum Fai said, “Usually Sean would spend weekends with his father in Aripo. His father would call and say I in Couva, and I would carry Sean with his bag packed with clothes and his favourite toys.” But no such call came that weekend, “that is why Sean was home.”

Lum Fai said while some people believe she was a delinquent mother, “I loved him more than myself. I started to live through Sean. I could not bear to be away from him. If I going anywhere with my friend I used to tell him I going to the doctor and he would cry, but I would talk to him and he would say ok, mummy coming back just now.” 

She said she showered Sean with love, but also allowed him “space” since “everything was mommy.”
It was the desire to give him “space” that left her unperturbed for hours when she got up and did not find him on the bed with her that day.
Lum Fai believes Sean’s performance in school was a reflection of “a settled and happy life.” She asked, “If he was not loved and well taken care of would he have been doing so well in school? 
“Sean was an A student and when the teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he grow up, he said I want to fix plane engines and spaceship engines.” With tears running down her cheeks, Lum Fai said “he was brighter than most children his age and a joy to be with.”
As she showed us his last end-of-term test report in second year, Lum Fai boasted that Sean was doing well in the Maths and Science—in his last test he got 94 out of 100 in Science and 87 out of 100 in Maths. His highest score was Social Studies, 96 out of 100. 

His report card reflected that he was an A student. His favourite colour was green, and when he made a post card for her for Mother’s Day, he coloured it green. She held his green pencil in her hand as she went through the many folders which held the memories of his brief life on earth. 
She lamented “he was such a bright child but the only certificate he ever got was when he graduated from pre-school.”
Lum Fai lives in the hope that “one day I will get justice” but with ten years already gone, she is doubtful it will happen any time soon. 

No forgiveness for perpetrators
The alleged perpetrators of the heinous crime were 13 and 16 at the time of the crime. They were sent to juvenile prison. Today, they are now adult and are at the Maximum Security Prison at Golden Grove.
The matter was called in the San Fernando Court last year, but the actual trial is yet to begin. This makes Lum Fai’s pain even more difficult to bear. “The justice system...can I say it?...it sucks. Those in authority not in my situation, they don’t know what I going through, it is an injustice to me and my family. I just want swift justice, I want to put it behind me, this has stopped my life. It is like a yoke around my neck.
“Everything so slow and drawn out, it’s like a burden. You end up feeling like the perpetrator.” 
Lum Fai agonised that while relatives of those charged with the crime “can go in prison and visit them, I can’t visit my son, he will never come back to me.” 
There had been a lobby for the two charged with the crime to be tried as adults given the nature of the crime committed. An autopsy showed that Sean was buggered and a cane stalk inserted in his rectum. His intestines, heart and lungs were all damaged. He suffered for hours before he died, but could not cry out for help because of the internal damage.
She was also highly critical of the police whom she said treated her like she was a nuisance when she went to the Couva Police Station to report her son was missing. At a time when crime is at an all-time high, Lum Fai had some advice for officers, “at least show some compassion, be empathetic and understanding. Don’t think everyone who come coming to waste time. See the pain on their faces. Look at the fear in their eyes, the eyes speak. Don’t treat it so lightly.” 
To this day, she is grateful that because her son was an American citizen, the US Embassy intervened and the police finally took action. “Without the intervention of the US Embassy,” she said, “the officers would have done nothing. They told me I was making mischief and wasting their time.” 
An officer close to the case said at least one of the boys had expressed regret at what happened, as did the boy’s mother. But Lum Fai told us she can’t find it in her heart just yet to forgive the alleged perpetrators of the crime. Moreso because the perpetrators lived just a short distance away, interacted with them, and “we treated them like family.”
She said “I want to know why, wWhy allyuh hurt him, I just want to know why? I will never know why.” She said without understanding why they really did it, it would be difficult to forgive. “I don’t think I could forgive just yet, everything is still so painful. I see them hurting him, he was an innocent lamb, they just mutilated him, they don’t know what they took from me.” .
Since Sean’s death she has abandoned Hindusim and turned to the Jehovah Witness Faith. It was not a difficult decision to make she said, “Imagine a pundit telling me my son did something so bad in another life that he had to pay for it, Sean was an angel. I no longer believed in the faith, I would have been a hypocrite to stay,” she said.
Today as a Jehovah Witness, Lum Fai said she lives for the promise of the resurrection “they give me the hope that he will come back to me and that keeps me going. I does imagine him coming back to me, running back to me, I does see that before I go to sleep, that is how I does think.”

“When you buy fast food, you know where the lettuce comes from? The tomatoes and cucumbers?” asks one South-based farmer.

“All imported. Imagine these international restaurants and fast food places come here and we send all that money back to the US, but they don’t support the local economy.”

Vegetables and fruits was the second highest commodity to be imported by T&T, and the highest in terms of proportion of total food import values, according to data from the Central Statistical Office (CSO) for 2011. 

Agricultural Society of T&T (ASTT) members said Government must look at the idea of introducing legislation which requires all foreign food distributors or restaurants in T&T to purchase at least 30 to 40 per cent of their supplies from local farmers.

It is a measure farmers who utilised the wholesale markets in Macoya and Debe support once the mechanisms and infrastructure is in place to facilitate an increase in production.

“Unless you have a strong policy framework to protect and see further development of the agriculture sector, we aren’t going anywhere,” ASTT President Dhano Sookhoo said in an interview.

“Farmers need legislation to protect local production.”

Sookhoo said the ASTT had proposed that legislation needed to be brought to ensure that local produce was not sidelined.

“When people go to the grocery, they must have the option. Local produce must be right near the imported produce. Unless Government puts in the enabling environment what’s the use talking about diversity.”

Low production has had an adverse effect on foreign exchange. In the past, T&T exported a significant amount of agricultural produce, including pumpkins, hot peppers, paw paw, callalloo bush, sweet pepper, tomato, cabbage, cucumber, pineapple and watermelon. In lieu of legislation, both the ASTT and National Agricultural Marketing Development Corporation (Namdevco) are holding discussions with some of the major importers of produce to buy local.

The discussions with local importers of foreign produce are aimed at facilitating the use of goods from local farmers by distributors and to increase exports and earn foreign exchange.

While production volumes are too low, Namdevco is working with farmers to increase production.

According to the CSO, the value of food imports increased to $4.7 billion in 2011 from approximately $4 billion in 2010. Caricom imports US$2 billion in food annually. 

A 2013 economic bulletin from the Central Bank shows that 18 per cent of the food bill was due to the importation of fruits and vegetables, while 14.5 per cent was dairy.

The report said an increasing demand for food, coupled with constrained production and rising commodity prices, fuelled an expansion of the food import bill in 2010 and 2011 after a decline in 2009 associated with a softening of global food prices. 

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations shows that global food prices have softened again in 2015, showing a 14.5 per cent decrease from the previous year.

Shortage of workers

While farmers complained of land issues for production, another popular complaint was lack of workers interested in the sector.

“Farming for me has been a family business,” said Chaguanas vendor and farmer Anita Singh.

“It’s hard work and not a lot of money, so many people don’t want to do it.”

Ganesh Gangapersad, CEO of Namdevco, in an interview at his Debe office last week, said thousands of workers left the agriculture sector during the construction boom in 2008.

“The sector was made up of mostly-unskilled labourers and so when construction accelerated in this country, many left the sector for higher wages.

“Now that some of the major projects are on hold, the unskilled set are now available for the agriculture sector. 

“We can capitalise on working with the farmers to get production back up by channeling unskilled labourers to agriculture,” Gangapersad said.

Farmers have also left the sector

A survey conducted by the ministry of agriculture in 2014 estimated just over 4,000 farmers in the country, a decrease of approximately, 16,000 as compared to 2004.

Namdevco works with over 1,200 farmers.

While people are interested in farming, there is a challenge keeping them in agriculture.

Couva farmer Chaitram Seetal has been a farmer for over 30 years. He and his wife farm coconuts, plantains and cassava.

After decades of farming, he wants to put down his tools and try something new.

“I wish I had gone to work with the government after school. I had my subjects. I could have done well and worked my way up through the system. Farming is not giving me a good life at all.”

Seetal said his life of early mornings and hard labour had resulted in problems accessing water for his crops and workers frequently leaving to earn higher salaries.

“We have land in Couva and by Grand Bazaar there, but I just want to stop.”

Water worries

Access to water has become a major problem for islands across the Caribbean, with the region facing the worst drought in five years during 2015.

In February, the Barbados-based Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) issued a statement that several regional countries had been placed under immediate drought watch or warning for 2016.

CDEMA said in a statement in February that drought alerts have been issued by the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) for several countries up to March 2016.

It said drought warning had been issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, northern Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, T&T and northern Suriname.

Gangapersad said so far, farmers had been able to meet expected production volumes despite the drought, but added that improving farmers’ access to water was necessary in order to increase production.

“We have to get a more-efficient way to deliver quality water to farmers. One of the ideas we are toying with is to use bore holes to do well water. It’s done in Barbados right now.

Farmers would pay a small fee to ensure that it is managed properly. 

“If the dry season continues to be as harsh as it is, we can end up in a situation where production levels begin to drop.

“It’s very dry. We have high wind and no rain.”

Gangapersad said water was evaporating from the plants, faster than the crops could absorb.

He said Namdevco was working with the Met Office on weather forecasting for farmers.

“What we will be able to do is access the predictions and plant for it.”

As Christians around the world celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar says while there will come moments that people will oppose each other in their public duty, what must always define them is the peaceful enjoyment of their liberties.

She said ethnic harmony, cultural diversity and religious unity defined the peace enjoyed today and the path people have taken to live, work and grow together. 

“Yes, there are issues such as crime and fears over personal safety that have caused us no end of anxiety. But if we are to achieve more, do better, become greater, we must begin by being thankful for what we already have.”

In her Easter message, Persad-Bissessar said the population was shielded from some of the harrowing tragedies around the world because of its loyal dedication to freedom and democracy, and indeed the mercy of God.

“On Tuesday, explosions rocked Belgium’s Brussels Airport triggering widespread panic. 

“While Belgium is a sovereign nation with its own flag and allegiance, the people of Belgium are our fellowmen.

“And even as we consider the hardships we face as a people in our continuous search of happiness and prosperity, let us consider the terror and tragedy faced by the people of Belgium, and millions around the world as we count our blessings and send them our prayers.”

Police are investigating the murder of a man known as “Fish” and “Justin” from Calvary Hill, Morvant. 

They said neighbours heard gunshots in the area just before midnight.

Yesterday morning around 9.30 am, they found the body of the 34-year-old man close to an abandoned cemetery, and the ring and pinky fingers on his left hand were cut off. 

Police said they were uncertain if the fingers were cut off before or after he died. 

Investigations are continuing. 

Meanwhile, around 8 pm on Friday, 23-year-old Dale Pitt was said to be walking through a track in Gonzales, Belmont, when he was shot. He died while on the way to hospital. 

He lived at Guapo Village in south and was visiting relatives.