Editorial : Pour some sugar on Caroni workers

http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2004-10-25/editorial.html

 

It seems astonishingly slipshod for the Government to have allowed the situation at Caroni to fall into such disarray that Christine Sahadeo would now have to be insisting that in the “future” the vesting of lands there would be transparent.

Considering the political heat generated by the merest mention of the name of Caroni (1975) Ltd, 
and match it with the eager rancour of the Opposition on behalf of the plight of ex-Caroni employees even before they took VSEP, and it seems clear that transparency should have been job number one from the start.

But Minister Sahadeo will have to get a lot more convincing and deliver more than promises.
“Extraordinary transparency” means a lot more than running everything past Cabinet. The people who are on the line after accepting VSEP need to know that they are being supported in their hopes for an independent life and that they won’t be bypassed in some perceived land rush by higher profile businesses.

As things stand, the ex-Caroni employees have a lot to be concerned about.
Construction has begun on warehouses and a housing development on former Caroni lands despite statements to them from the Estate Management Business Development Company charged with regulating these land transfers that until the Vesting Bill is passed in Parliament, they can’t get access to their promised acreage.

So while business proceeds for companies capable of starting big projects, not a square foot of land has been sold to unemployed former Caroni workers as their VSEP payments slowly run out.
There’s simply no excuse in claiming that a valid list of eligible workers wasn’t available.
The list of everyone who was paid VSEP would have been a good place to start and how could the whole process have been so poorly planned that it would become necessary for thousands of applicants of these lands to have to apply for the lands twice?

The ex-Caroni workers who accepted the Government’s promises and plans in good faith have been handled in an extraordinarily cavalier manner and there are little signs of change.
Minister Sahadeo has shown grit and determination in her handling of accountability in the local energy sector...now she must bring the same focus to bear on ending the unease surrounding Caroni.

It’s simply not good enough to tell people who have already been waiting for almost a year that the matter will be cleared up in six month’s time.

It’s no longer possible to think about this situation bureaucratically if the Government hopes to pull even a political draw from this growing morass.

There’s no reason why the Government shouldn’t have been talking about transparency in its disbursement of Caroni lands and outlining the process six months before the Caroni workers took their VSEP instead of months afterward.

 Thousands of former Caroni workers are waiting to hear and more compellingly, to see what happens next. If there is unauthorised development on Caroni lands, then it should be swiftly investigated and brought to a halt if that turns out to be the case.

Systems and processes need to be brought to bear on a situation that’s putting hardworking people through a bureaucratic wringer unnecessarily, and the Government needs to show a more clearly articulated sense of urgency and concern for the Caroni workers who took them at their word.

Sahadeo promises to probe Caroni land irregularities

http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2004-10-24/news5.html

Christine Sahadeo

BY SASHA MOHAMMED
 
An investigation has been launched into the construction of a rum distillery on Caroni lands at Ste Madeleine by Angostura Ltd, Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Christine Sahadeo, says.
Sahadeo was responding to a Sunday Guardian story last week which noted concerns raised by Basta Hall residents about alleged irregularities in the disbursement of Caroni lands.
Most of the people of Basta Hall worked at Caroni (1975) Ltd. Awaiting news about the two acres of land for agriculture promised as a part of their VSEP package, they noted that four warehouses and a housing development had gone up in Caroni lands last year, despite Government saying it was unable to lease or sell land to them (the residents) until its Vesting Bill was passed in Parliament.

The opposition UNC has also charged, among other things, that Government plans to give the lands to their friends and family, and establish housing developments as part of a voter padding scheme.

Sahadeo, who assumed responsibility for Caroni lands earlier this year, responded to the various concerns in a wide-ranging interview last Wednesday.
She said she had been assured by both Jerry Hospedales, Caroni’s chairman; and Yathra Rao of the Estate Management Business Development Company (EMBDC), that the warehouses and housing developments in question were leased out legally.
The EMBDC is expected to take over Caroni’s lands after the Land Vesting Bill is enacted. The bill seeks to transfer Caroni lands from the now defunct company to the EMBDC.
As for the Angostura rum distillery, Sahadeo said:
“That one is being investigated right now.”
She said the information she had so far was that the Sugar Manufacturing Company (SMC) had leased out the land to the rum company, but given that the Vesting Bill was yet to be passed, this was not supposed to have happened.
Sahadeo further gave the reassurance of “extraordinary” transparency in the disbursement of all Caroni’s lands.
 
“The whole process is going to be extraordinarily transparent. We will not be leaving any room for errors or mistakes. We will be reviewing all land transactions to ensure they are authentic and balanced.

“And after these checks, Cabinet has to approve every land lease or sale. This is our way of making sure everything is transparent, because at the end of the day, Cabinet will be called on to account.

“So this should demonstrate to the country our commitment to transparency and accountability in the disbursement of these lands.”
Sahadeo has assured that in six months’ time, former Caroni employees will begin receiving their agricultural lands for farming.

Basta Hall residents have complained about delays in getting the lands, and that they have had to apply twice for the lands, once at Caroni offices last year, and six months later, at EMBDC.
Sahadeo said the Ministry had several issues to deal with, including verifying and “validating” the list of applicants for both residential and agricultural lots and doing land surveys, designs and listing of the preferential lots.
Independent firm Ernst and Young was hired to help with this project, and the Ministry recently received an authenticated list of 6,131 former employees and 17 sites for allocation of residential lots.

“We are ensuring they will get priority access to purchase the land and we will also ensure prices are affordable. Right now, we are working out the cost, but obviously, will ensure an affordable price structure.” (See side bar).
As for the agricultural lots, the minister said the EMBDC was due to give her a timeline by this week as to when they would be ready for the former employees.
Noting that these lands, too, had to undergo surveying and design checks, she said: “We have identified 17 locations, but so far, only two have been completed. We intend to start assigning them immediately, so within six months, we will have to start delivering.”
As for the residents having to apply twice, she said the second application form was more specific, and that they should not worry, since once they filled out at least one form, they would be considered.
Basta Hall residents had also requested a minimum $40,000 loan from Government for farming the lands, saying by the time they finally get these lands, their VSEP monies would have been used up because of their unemployment.
Sahadeo said that at meetings with farmers of Caroni, representatives from the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) had been present to tell them about available loans.
This, she assured, would continue.
“We intend to keep bringing the farmers and ADB together, and the Ministry of Agriculture fully recognises the need to have a facilitative role in this process.”
Sahadeo said it would be left to the Government’s discretion to dispose the rest of Caroni lands, after disbursement for housing and agriculture.
“Right now, we have a shortage of industrial estates and, if the need arises, we will have to review the lands and take what we need for this.
“The thing is we can’t leave everything for agriculture, but I agree we must pursue agriculture in a more aggressive way as a government.”
“In the final analysis, the people should realise that their interest is a priority.
“I fully understand the difficulties and hardships many former workers are encountering at this time, but I am also optimistic that their futures are promising.”
“They should be reassured that Government remains committed to delivering on our commitments, and I believe we have a responsibility to ensure they get the required assistance form the State, and they get their dues on a timely basis,” Sahadeo said.

Government’s plan for disbursement of 76,608 acres of Caroni’s lands:

8,004 acres or 10.4 per cent would constitute built development—existing built development (4,262 acres); proposed usage for industrial and residential estates and commercials complexes (1,402 acres); proposed housing developments for former employees (1,022 acres)
68,604 acres or 89.6 per cent would remain in or be available for agricultural purpose for which:
—13,712 acres or 17.9 per cent would be used for new agricultural activity driven by former employees
—54,892 acres or 71.7 per cent would remain in or be available for agricultural activity.
Out of this, 22,517 acres are being used for
– pasture (1,470 acres);
– citrus (3,378 acres);
– wine making (450 acres);
– rice & other food crops
(5,036 acres);
– tree crops (1,012 acres);
– aquaculture (284 acres);
– private cane farming (10,887 acres;
– and the remaining 32,375 acres could be available for future agriculture or other uses.

Location of residential sites for former Caroni workers

Sites already developed:
Brothers Garth, Princes Town 15 acres 90 lots
Orange Field Phase I 6 acres 36 lots
Cedar Hill Phase I 5 acres 28 lots
La Fortune Phase I 3 acres 15 lots
Sites previously identified:
Orange Filed, Phase II 29 acres 174 lots
Picton Phase II 37 acres 222 lots
Woodland 15 acres 88 lots
Hermitage Phase II 55 acres 330 lots
Suitable sites:
Calcutta Settlement Road, Couva 12 acres 72 lots
Roopsingh Road, Edinburgh 94 acres 564 lots
Factory Road, Edinburgh 44 acres 261 lots
Sonny Ladoo, Exchange 36 acres 216 lots
Balmain 40 acres 240 lots
Exchange, Section I 85 acres 510 lots
La Romain, La Fortune 152 acres 914 lots
Chin Chin Rd, Jerningham Junction 137 acres 822 lots
Esperanza 10 acres 60 lots
Felicity 136 acres 815 lots
McBean, Exchange 18 acres 108 lots
Caroni Village 95 acres 570 lots
 
Proposed agricultural land:

Caroni 5,790 acres
Orange Grove 3,753 acres
Jerningham 3,037 acres
Todds Road 2,397 acres
Edinburgh 3,462 acres
Felicity 3,766 acres
Waterloo 3,418 acres
Exchange 3,961 acres
Montserrat 4,169 acres
Esperanza 3,165 acres
Reform/W/ville 5,797 acres
Cedar Hill 2,444 acres
Petit Morne 4,361 acres
La Fortune I&II 4,727 acres
La Gloria 4,542 acres
Forres Park 2,498 acres
Mora Valley 1,656, acres

Former Caroni CEO tells Govt: Shift thinking on sugar

http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2004-10-19/business2.html 

Clarence Rambharat, team member of the RNM, centre, chats with Caroni (1975) CEO Deosaran Jagroo, left, and Chairman Jerry Hospedales.

Photo: Adrian Boodan

By Adrian Boodan

 

Former Caroni (1975) Ltd CEO Clarence Rambharat has challenged Government to shift its thinking on sugar.

Rambharat, who is now part of the Barbados-based Regional Negotiating Machinery, spoke Saturday night at a function in his honour at the Woodford Lodge Club, Chaguanas.

Rambharat said haggling with the European Union to sustain the preferred price for sugar given to ACP producers, may not be the way to go and suggested finding alternative uses for sugar cane.
 
“A major shift has taken place in the region. People involved in the sugar industry now have to seriously consider the alternative uses for sugarcane recognising that the fight over keeping the prices in the EU regime is going to be a very difficult fight to win,” he said.
 
“Sugar is a small thing on the EU’s agenda and it is unlikely that we are going to win the battle over prices. The battle that we should be trying to win is to get funding from the EU for the diversification of sugar. When I say diversification I do not mean taking cane land and putting it into pumpkin and bodi and corn, I mean taking sugarcane and finding serious uses for it.”

However, Rhambharat who returns to Barbados on Thursday, said ethanol fuel from sugarcane might not be a viable product. “A lot of countries are talking about it mainly because they have economies of scale,” he said. “My fear is that we may not have the economies of scale to talk seriously about ethanol but talk about something else for sugar cane.”

Now ex-Caroni workers cry raw deal

 http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2004-06-27/business1.html

BY MARSHA MOKOOL

Villagers making a bowl of mango chow in the village gazebo. From left Krishna Beekham, Rajendra Chandreka, Retoo Manhbod, Anil Seelochan and Rajendra Persad.

Indarsingh: No need to shut down company

Nirmal Gayapersad had given 24 years of dedicated service to Caroni (1975) Ltd, but today, the father of seven is struggling to get by on the “remnants” of the retrenchment package he took home following the closure of Caroni in August, 2003.

Gayapersad, a former daily-paid worker from Basta Hall, Couva, is still on the unemployment line, taking up odd jobs here and there—like most of the other villagers.
He has already exhausted half of his VSEP package on feeding, clothing and educating his children, who range between the ages seven and 22.

They all live at home and only the eldest is employed.

Unable to find steady work, Gayapersad sought to improve his skills by taking advantage of the training programmes offered by the Government.

Although he has a six-week certificate in pipe-fitting and fabricating, he claims it has not benefitted him in any way.
 
“I done throw away that worthless certificate. It’s not valid for employment anywhere. None of those companies recognise it when I go for interviews. It’s the same old story, I don’t qualify for anything,” he complained. Gayapersad was one of several who aired their complaints when Sunday Guardian revisited the small, impoverished village last week.
Basta Hall, home to over 1,000 former Caroni workers, has been stuck in a time-warp since our last visit with residents in October, 2003.

The old-fashioned, tight-knit community of approximately 1,700 remains in a state of chronic depression, having depended on the sugar cane industry for generations.
Their withered hopes and dreams can also be compared to the 300 acres of abandoned cane fields which mark their territory and heritage.
Unemployment figures have remained consistent, with less than 50 per cent of the adult population gainfully employed in construction jobs, plying taxis or keeping shop.
Most of the retrenched workers have already exhausted most of their VSEP money, with most of it having gone toward house renovations and loan payments.
More than half of the retrenched Caroni workers are over 50, making it even more difficult to find jobs. There are five to seven children in almost every household, creating an even larger burden on unemployed parents.

Many of the youth lack education and training and still live at home, like Gayapersad’s children.
Every word and sentiment shared by the retrenched Caroni workers at Basta Hall echoed with anger, directed at the former Agriculture Minister and the PNM administration.
Nithram Ramdath, 57, an unemployed father of two, took home $189,000 after 27 years as a daily-paid worker with Caroni, but $80,000 of that went toward the reconstruction of his dilapidated two-bedroom house.
“After paying off loans, all I’m left with is enough to buy groceries,” he complained.
Although crime is practically non-existent in the quiet, traditional village, Ramdath fears that things will get worse as a result of unemployment.
“Things are getting worse because the people are not employed. When you hear the people money run low, what you expect them to do, not tief?” he said.

John Rahael:-
Health Minister John Rahael has absolutely no regrets in the crucial role he played in Government’s decision to shut down Caroni (1975) Ltd and send home 9,000 workers.
Rahael was Agriculture Minister when the decision was taken to shut down the State-owned agro-industrial company in August, 2003.
In an interview last week at the Park and Edward Streets office of the Ministry of Health, Rahael spoke about the closure of Caroni.

Financial and Economical issues
In March, 2002, Rahael said Caroni (1975) Ltd approached him for additional funds because the company had exhausted the entire budget allocated to it by then. It needed approximately $270 million in addition to the $108 million allocated in the 2001-2002 budget.
“If we did not close down Caroni the Treasury would have had to find an additional $650 million to keep operations going... and every year that figure was growing,” he said.
“Caroni had 77,000 acres of land in assets, but instead of producing a revenue, it was a drain on all the treasuries.
 
“Everyone recognised that things could not continue as it was. It was like a bottomless pit. Every year the loses kept increasing more and more.”

UNC would have done worst
“The closure of Caroni was never a political issue. It had to be dealt with by whichever administration was in power,“ Rahael said.
“UNC had intentions of shutting down Caroni because they, too, recognised that the company was literally draining the Treasury.
“The Opposition was going to do worst than what we did. Workers would not have benefited financially or otherwise if the ball was in their (UNC) court.”

Benefits reaped by former Caroni workers
The decision to shut down Caroni was not an impulsive one, nor was it based on pure economics.
“A lot of time, thought and consideration went into the restructuring of Caroni. There was nothing more that we could have done for the workers. All measures were taken to soften the landing,” Rahael said.
“In addition to enhancing the retrenchment package by 30 per cent, they (former Caroni workers) were given training and business opportunities, plus opportunities to own land and housing.
“Which other employee in T&T has been given that kind of package?
“If there was any bias, it was bias for them (Caroni workers), not against them.”

Land distribution to former Caroni workers:
On the contentious issue of land and houses promised to former Caroni workers, Rahael lamented that the process was taking longer than expected.
After the closure of Caroni, Rahael said those who were interested in agriculture would be given first preference for land. To date, none of the 5,000 to 7,000 applicants who applied to the Estate Management Business Development Company have been awarded land.
In addition, former Caroni workers were to be given first preference to purchase land and houses for their families, but to date, none of the 12,000 applicants have been satisfied.
Asked about Government’s failure to make good on its promises, Rahael only line of defence was “these things take time.”

Union’s Views
President of the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers’ Trade Union Rudranath Indarsingh has maintained that the whole issue of Caroni Ltd was based on political discrimination.
“The closure of Caroni was a deliberate ploy to keep sugar workers in a state of poverty and helplessness. Their (Government’s) policy position was to ensure the sugar workers become unemployed and stay that way,” he said.
He complained that former sugar workers can no longer afford to send their children to university because the majority of them are unemployed.
“It has always been the pride of sugar workers to ensure their children be educated. Now that has been taken away from a large percentage of Indians in South and Central Trinidad,” he lamented.

Failure to deliver on promises
“Who is Rahael to say that Caroni workers benefited from the best policy ever introduced for workers in T&T?
Have they delivered on any of these promises?
“It vindicates the union’s position that the Government was not interested in the improvement of life or sociological position of Caroni workers,” he said.
On the issue of land, he argued that no linkages were put in place to facilitate the proper and timely distribution of agricultural and residential land to retrenched Caroni workers.
“We suggested that the restructuring of Caroni be done on a five to seven-year basis so that a proper process would be put in place for the distribution of agricultural and residential land,” he said.

Training programmes futile
In relation to training programmes for former Caroni workers, Indarsingh indicated: “There has been no proper analysis of the skills bank of workers. How could they come up with training programmes without examination of workers’ needs?”
He also said that the question of accreditation standards was never taken into account.
“There is no link between the courses being offered and the wider economy in terms of re-employment for ex-Caroni workers,” he added. 
 
Bad politics :-
Although he agreed that Caroni Ltd could not continue the way it was operating, Indarsingh argued that there was no need to shut down the State enterprise.
“They shut down Caroni, but they pumping money into CEPEP, URP, BWIA and other State enterprises, none of which is generating any positive rate of return to the Treasury,” he said.
“The only policy position we had was phased private sector participation. That is 51 per cent Government and 49 per cent private sector.”
He admitted that part of the restructuring exercise would have included the retrenchment of older workers, but he argued that neither the union nor the UNC ever had intentions of shutting down Caroni Ltd.
“The proposal to shut down Caroni was never formally accepted by the UNC,” he said.
He also agreed with Rahael that the Caroni administration was corrupted.
“The union has always said the Caroni administration was corrupt in terms of poor management and the misappropriation of funds,” he said.
“There was need to reduce the dependency on the Treasury. This is why we advocated the establishment of a holding company and a number of separate entities to manage the various facets of rice, sugar, rum, citrus, dairy, refining operations and field engineering.”

Caroni Lands - Part III

Policy and transparency
 
Published Thursday 27th May, 2004
 http://www.raymondandpierre.com/articles/article17.htm

This week we conclude the series on Caroni by considering the proposals for its future. The principal document to which we have referred is the UWI position paper issued in July 2003 called: “A Framework for National Development: Caroni Transformation Process.”

As we said in the previous two columns on this subject, it is unclear what is the Government’s policy on the use of these lands. The principal concern stated by Government was to avoid the consistently high levels of subsidy required to keep the loss-making sugar industry going. The potential of the land to spur national or regional developments has not been publicly addressed and, given our political schisms, the silence on this will naturally feed a sense of insecurity on the issue.

The UWI report was prepared in collaboration between a variety of academics and external parties, including the then Agriculture Minister John Rahael, president of the sugar workers’ union, and Utharo Rao, the head of the company set up to administer these lands, the Estate Management and Business Development Company (EMBD).

The most refreshing thing is that there is a determined effort to look beyond the immediate concerns of the players and see the future of these lands as a broad development issue.

• Key issues

Heterogeneity: This is the bold step of acknowledging our national diversity – in people, flora, fauna and land types – as national assets to be exploited for the peoples’ benefit.

Democratic involvement: That the development of these lands cannot be the sole preserve of any government.

Long-term planning: The recognition that the use of this land must take into account the needs of the generations yet to come.

Development funding: A progressive system is suggested for the selective use of lands to allow a great degree of autonomous funding for long-term development.

National planning: The National Physical Development Plan is seen as being vital to proper control of these lands.

New development options: A fertile variety of these are discussed in areas like livestock, new types of housing settlements, national parks and tourism, nutrition and food security.

• Main concerns
  • Policy formation:

Our policy on these lands must be formed in the most open and non-partisan manner possible.

The old formulas will not do since this issue has the potential either to be a source of new national development possibilities or to be generations of confusion and chaos.

The choice is ours.

• Policy monitoring:

Whatever series of policies we develop must be transparent and capable of constant monitoring. In today’s world of information management, we must improve our performance in this area.

In earlier research for another column, we were able to establish the levels of spending on housing over the last decade, but unable to get any idea as to the number of units built.

We need to improve the transparency of our public administration if we are to avoid more confusion.

• Non-partisan administration:

Whatever the structures we put into place, they cannot be partisan or all-powerful. We need to safeguard against the twin dangers of blind loyalty, usually associated with political appointees, and the possible corruption of permanent appointees.

The operations need to be guided by policy and transparency; the managers of the process need to be capable of recall if their performance is found wanting.

• Cross-party and creative management:

There must be a bias against releasing these lands on the basis that “anyone can apply” since this would give precedence to those with deeper pockets. We must recognise that this is no guarantee of equitable or better quality development. In view of the long-term potentials and challenges posed by Caroni lands, the price-based approach cannot deliver the required results.

• Pricing policy:

On the question of price, we need to ensure that, if lands are sold or leased, they are properly priced. Let us be clear here. Some users will need to be given land on concessionary terms, and they should be obliged to use the lands for the intended purposes. Others will be sold land on competitive terms and these purchasers would also need to be monitored to ensure compliance with the agreed plans for the area.

We can all remember the situation in Signal Hill at Tobago a few years ago when State lands were to be sold for residential use. There were calls for reduced prices for a variety of reasons; the lands were eventually sold at less than open market value. The size and quality of the houses in Signal Hill would imply that the owners are not needy people; this episode ought to be a warning as to the dangers of improper pricing.

Next, we return to the resource allocation discussion started last week with the Roystonia housing development.

Caroni Lands — Part II

 
Published Thursday 13th May, 2004
http://www.raymondandpierre.com/articles/article15.htm 

This week we will be examining the various considerations which would come into play in devising a policy for the redistribution of Caroni’s lands.

We need to locate this entire series of questions in the context of land redistribution. The Caroni discussion is about the government having the responsibility to divide these valuable assets — belonging to all of us, including generations to come — in our nation’s best interest.

Land plays a central role in building and holding wealth. Virtually every local success story has a chapter or two on the important part property played in that ascension. Some of the stories are all about property— chapter and verse.

Insofar as we are discussing property here, this is a pregnant moment. The December 1986 elections seem to have started the present phase of short-term governments but these are issues in need of long-term planning.

Key decisions

Role of land redistribution

The real issue here would be the policy of the government in terms of wealth distribution. The release of this surplus land could be seen as an opportunity to redress some of the pressing problems flowing from our unequal access to land and living space.

The present publicity given to the squatters’ issues is only the tip of the iceberg and the disturbing images will not go away unless the fundamental issues are dealt with.

The choices here could be contrasted between the distribution of land to our economically successful citizens in the hope that lasting employment might be created or the allocation of land to those who are without, so that the housing shortage might be eased. Both of these processes would need to be managed to avoid the pitfalls of the past.

Timing of land release

The point was made earlier that the Caroni land belongs to all of us—including the generations to come—so the successful management of this large-scale and unique land distribution would need to include some substantial reservations of land for future needs.

Claims of former Caroni workers

In the last week we saw that former Caroni workers have taken their claims for land allocations to the High Court with respect to promises made by the political directorate at the time of the company’s closure.

Of course, we will be closely observing the case and judgment, but even if the workers’ claims to land allocations are upheld there will be other critical aspects of that policy to decide.

Is it good public policy to give away valuable assets? I am not saying that that could not be the case if there were strategic national interests to be served.

If the land is to be allocated on favourable terms—ie at less than market value—then that has to be in accordance with some national target or goal such as food production or long-term employment.

If that is to be the allocation policy for these lands then we need to ensure that there are effective safeguards.

We are against the allocation of these lands for some stated policy only to find it resold or developed without regard to the purpose stated in the original grant. (See clawback clauses)

FTAA

A fortnight ago we spoke of the FTAA and its role in our medium-term future. There are further possibilities here. If we enter the FTAA without detailed discussion or negotiation, would our ability to allocate these lands be restricted?

Put another way, even if there is a High Court victory for the former Caroni workers, will our FTAA obligations allow us to favourably redistribute these lands? Might such a programme not be seen as unduly favouring local producers? 

One size fits all

Another area for concern is that the land allocations should take place within a flexible series of arrangements to cater for the correct values of these valuable lands.

There has been an unfortunate pattern here of some critical areas of land allocation falling into a one-size-fits-all trap. A good example of that is that there are valuable lands in the city of Port-of-Spain which are currently being leased at fixed rates per sq ft of with no regard being had to location or value.

One has to say that Plipdeco and CDA are public bodies with dynamic land management policies for their valuable properties.

We would hope that Caroni’s lands come under such proactive and beneficial management.

Next, we will be examining the various proposals for the uses of this land.

Caroni Lands — Part I

Published Thursday 6th May, 2004
http://www.raymondandpierre.com/articles/article14.htm 

Caroni (1975) Ltd was closed down by the government on August 1 2003 — Emancipation Day. The loss-making State enterprise was closed amidst much comment and concern as to the future of the workers, their communities and of course, the land.

Despite the range of expressed concerns and long-term national issues arising from this action, there has been no strategic statement from the government on the future of these lands. There have been many reports and reviews of Caroni’s operations.

Much public discussion of its failings and naturally, most of these have been tinged with politics. That is no bad thing. Our question now has to be: is there a plan for Caroni’s lands?

While this column is not focussed on the workers and community situation, we cannot consider the elements separately. The people have a right to expect proper consultation in the use of this land. Indeed, it is impossible to have any real development without the input and commitment of stakeholders.

This week we will limit ourselves to a description of the present position and over the next two weeks we will deal in turn with the present proposals for and the possible potential of these lands.

The present position can be outlined as follows: 

Where are the lands:

When we talk about the Caroni lands what do we mean? I have put in a map showing the areas in which these lands are located so as to give some idea of the locations.

The areas in Caroni’s ownership stretches from Orange Grove (near Trincity) in the north to Princes Town in the South; these include property at Mayaro and “down the islands.”

How much land is there?

The Caroni estate comprises over 75,000 acres and while some of this has been kept in sugar cultivation, there is still a vast area which has been released for other uses.

Caroni’s land within the national land bank

There is research which suggests that only nine per cent of our country’s land area is available for development. These estimates were done by excluding heavily-forested or swampy land and those areas reserved for agriculture. The nine per cent includes the developed areas we now live in.

The Caroni lands make up just under six per cent of T&T’s entire land area. Although part of the surplus Caroni lands will no doubt be reserved for agriculture, it is clear that the release of these lands has the potential to have a deep and long-lasting effect on the national real estate market to begin with and much more to follow. 

The Plan

I have just visited the Ministry of Agriculture’s Web site and there is no indication of the thinking behind the future of the surplus lands.

While it is clear that the sugar-growing business was losing huge amounts of money every year, we would not like to think that there is no plan for the use of these lands. We will be discussing the possibilities in the next fortnight. 

Party politics

The present political situation is itself a very important part of any such discussion. Apart from the egos of the parties involved and the obvious factors of racial voting patterns with the knife-edge victory of the PNM – I think less than 3,000 votes separated the parties — there is a greater danger. We are all aware of the terrible fate which is said to await “a people without a vision.”

The point here is that we might become consumed in a series of timewasting and petty arguments which could blind us to the enormous opportunities for national and regional development which this unique moment offers. Sad to say, but all the ingredients for confusion are present. Can we rise to the occasion?

Our nation’s interest demands that we recognise that the Caroni lands are too big, too important and too valuable to be the preserve of any single group or political party.

There is apparently a consensus within the political directorate (both parties) that foreign investors are a vital ingredient for national development. Whatever your view of that view, it goes to show that consensus is achievable.

Can our rulers find it within themselves to reach a consensus on this critical series of issues? The national interest and our future generations demand no less.

Next week we move onto the proposals for the Caroni lands.