St John's, Antigua.
The Government of Antigua will repossess crown lands made available to members of the public for agricultural activities that is not being cultivated..
Deputy Chairman of the Agriculture Development Corporation (ADC) Ainsworth Grant, told the media the new scheme is soon to be implemented.
According to Grant, around 50 percent of land issued by the government for agriculture purposes have not been utilized.
Some 3,621 acres of farmland have been made available for approximately 150 registered farmers , only an estimated 1,200 acres of this is being “actively” used.
“Most of it remains unproductive, covered in bushes and shrubs,” says Grant.
Added to the fact that the most of the lands are unused, it has also been revealed that government is yet to receive over $300,000 in outstanding rent from these farmers covering a period dating back to 2005.
“You have farmers having lands as small as quarter acre to as much as 60, and in one case we have one farmer with about 80 acres of land,” the deputy chairman revealed.
Based on the contract signed between the farmers and government, warnings and eviction notices must be served before any active action can be taken against the farmers.
Farmers can be evicted with immediate effect on the basis of husbandry and non-payment of rent, but only after the adequate notice and warning has been given.
“I am pursuing that area of just not evicting totally, but to start to cut off lands from all these farmers who have lands just there,” Grant said.
