Retreat for Judges to Deal with Praedial Larceny

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, says a retreat will be held for judges to sensitise them on the harm being done to farmers due to praedial larceny.

Calling it the biggest threat facing the agricultural sector, Mr. Green said one of the main problems is that the fines are too low, to the point where the offenders are not the least worried about facing the courts.

The Minister was speaking to farmers following a tour of sections of St. Ann on July 13.

“One of the things we are going to do is to have a retreat for our judges. We have done it already in fisheries and we are going to do it in agriculture,” the Minister said.

“I have already discussed this with the Permanent Secretary, and this is something we are going to get done. We want to walk our justices through agriculture and the Agricultural Produce Act [aimed at tackling praedial larceny], so they can appreciate the level of losses our farmers have been experiencing at the hands of criminals. Sometimes, having that first-hand knowledge is the best and most effective way of addressing the problem,” he added.

The Minister said he expects the retreat to be held before the end of the year, adding that urgent action is needed to deal with the problem of praedial larceny.

Mr. Green said that in addition to sensitising the judges about the realities on the ground, farmers losing billions of dollars as a result of the problem, the Ministry will be moving to make amendments to the Agricultural Produce Act to put in stiffer penalties so as to dissuade “those who are bent on reaping what they didn’t sow”.

“It is estimated that farmers have suffered $6 billion in losses over a 10-year period. It’s time for serious action… . We have been talking about this for too long. This crime… praedial larceny… is just as serious as murder.

When a man loses his entire livelihood… you basically leave him to die,” the Minister said.

Mr. Green pointed out that he has also been engaged in “serious discussions” with the top brass of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

“We have to see how we can put more boots on the ground in divisions that are having a particular challenge with praedial larceny,” he suggested.

Mr. Green, in the meantime, said the Government will be moving to fix farm roads across the island to assist farmers in moving to and from their fields without the hassle they are now experiencing.

“We are aware of the problems and while we can’t and will not be able to fix them all at once, this is a major priority for us,” he added.

On his stop at Cave Valley (St. Ann South Western), the Minister participated in a Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA)-initiated handover of farm supplies to farmers who were affected by the recent heavy rains.

Some of the providers of the farm supplies include H&L Agro Division, Hardware & Lumber Limited, Caribbean Chemicals Jamaica Limited, Newport Fersan Jamaica Limited, St. Jago Farm & Hardware Supplies Limited, Hi Pro Ace Supercentre, and Food for the Poor.