155 More Residents of Hertford/Morass Lane Get Land Titles

An additional 155 residents of Hertford/Morass Lane in Westmoreland were on Friday (February 19) presented with certificates of possession, as the Government continues to regularise land ownership in former sugar communities across the island.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Derrick Kellier, handed over the documents at a ceremony held at the Hertford New Testament Church of God.

The presentation comes under the Sugar Company of Jamaica (SCJ) Holdings Limited’s Community Regularization Programme.

Under the initiative, former sugar workers and their families, residing on former Government-owned estates in St. Catherine, Clarendon, Westmoreland, St. Thomas and Trelawny, will receive titles to property they have been living on for many years.

Friday’s presentation ceremony brings to 455, the number of certificates of possession that has been awarded in Hertford/Morass Lane to date.

Minister Kellier, in his address, congratulated the new landowners.“The ownership of a land title is an individual’s opportunity to build prosperity for himself and his family.  Land not only gives you access to a permanent place of residence, but can also open doors to entrepreneurship through agriculture and other cottage industries,” he pointed out.

He said the Government continues to place people at the centre of development.

“We invest in people, in our human capital and we are mindful that the sense of permanence and ownership can only serve to truly empower our citizens and boost their sense of inclusion in nation building. This will, in turn, enhance their contribution to the growth of our country and contribute to social cohesion in our communities,” Minister Kellier noted.

“And, what better way than to regularise the ownership and possession of the lands on which so many of our sugar sector workers have toiled for so many years?” he added.