Opposition calls for full disclosure on sale of agricultural lands in St Catherine

The Opposition is calling for full disclosure of the terms and agreements of the sale of agricultural lands to Portland Holdings Inc.

The Financial Gleaner reported on Friday that approximately 3,000 acres of arable land in Innswood Village, St Catherine, initially purchased for major agricultural development by a group of investors led by businessman Michael Lee-Chin, is being repurposed to include a housing development. 

READ: Lee-Chin ditches mega farm plan for housing boom

According to the opposition, it had received information that the 3,000 acres acquired by Lee-Chin and company has irrigation infrastructure, making it extremely high value for agricultural purposes.

Additionally, land zoned for agricultural use is priced significantly lower than land zoned for housing, it noted.

The Opposition says it is concerned that this may have been intentionally designed as a bait and switch scheme to benefit private investors.

It is charging that the Government and Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who has direct responsibility for Housing, must demand that Portland Holdings relinquish its claims to these lands and instead offer them other lands, more ideal for housing.

For Opposition Spokesperson on Water and Agriculture, Lothan Cousins, full disclosure and a detailed analysis are necessary for the public to determine if Jamaica's arable lands are being divested in the best interest of the country.  

“These disclosures must include an audit of all Government-owned property within the Bernard Lodge area and adjoining areas such as Innswood Village where large acres of land were divested by SCJ holdings leading up to the 2020 general elections. We need to find out how much land was divested and to whom, as well as the purpose for which they were bought and are being used,” he said in a statement today.

And his colleague Sophia Frazer-Binns, who is the Opposition Spokesperson on Land,  says the Government must disclose when the application for change of use was made, when it was reviewed and the reasons that were provided by the review committee when they made a recommendation to the Prime Minister for the change of use.

Cousins is asserting that the government should desist from venturing down a path of allowing private investors to use arable lands, designated for food production, to be used for exploitative profit generation purposes with no clear national gain.  

“We will not sit idly and allow our arable lands to be continuously used for the 'planting of houses'. We are demanding that the government halt any other project of a similar nature currently in train, and cause an urgent investigation to ensure that Jamaica's food security isn't jeopardised in the pursuit of personal profit.

“There is a looming food security crisis as food prices have been rising since the pandemic and will continue to rise due to raw material shortages caused by disruptions in global supply chains. It would serve Jamaica's interest if the government turns its focus on securing our arable lands and prioritising food production investments”.  

Cousins is encouraging the government to vigorously resist this application for change of the use of land.

Additionally, Frazer-Binns is calling for a revision of our land use policy.

“Given the current climate of food insecurity, we cannot afford to be using our flat and most arable lands for housing. While housing is important, it should not be at the detriment of agriculture.”

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