rishard.khan@guardian.co.tt
President of the Agricultural Society of T&T (ASTT) Darryl Rampersad is concerned about a recent spate of robberies and attacks against Turure Road farmers.
A member of that farming community, who spoke anonymously because of safety concerns, said since the start of the year there have been at least four incidents where farmers were robbed in broad daylight while tending to their crops. He said bandits are targeting the older members of the community who are unable to defend themselves.
Commenting on the matter following the ASTT’s annual general meeting on Saturday, Rampersad said: “We take this very seriously because it affects the livelihood of these individuals and also the encouragement of farming in Trinidad and Tobago and as the Agricultural Society we are responsible for the encouragement of farming and advancement of agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago. This is one of the issues that directly affects the farmers of Trinidad and Tobago and the surrounding communities in which these individuals live in.”
With the situation now escalating from praedial larceny, Rampersad said the ASTT intends to work with police to find a solution.
“I’ve only heard of this situation over the last couple of days and we are making attempts to go up there and investigate as to what are the problems they are facing there. If we can we can work with our local police officers in the interim to help solve that issue to get some regular patrols or whatnot, we will be doing so in the near future,” he said.