CARONI LANDS

Former Agriculture Minister John Rahael’s announcement on Thursday that the reaping of Trinidad and Tobago’s sugar cane crop was expected to start on January 15, was an understood reminder that for the first time in living memory, sugar cane reaping, and with it the grinding of sugar, would begin without the active involvement of Caroni Limited. Instead, the land formerly owned by Caroni (1975) Limited, and now by the Estate Management Company (EMC), will shortly be given out (leased etc) for housing estates, industrial estates and for agriculture. The whole culture of the old Caroni will be changed. A not insubstantial portion of Rahael’s statement was used to convey that the lands — some 78,000 acres — be utilised not merely for agriculture, representing a break with Caroni’s past, but for industrial development, and to meet the ever pressing need for housing.

Minister Rahael, in addition to assuring that everything would be done in an orderly and systematic manner, and that Government was committed to “transparency in dealing with the distribution of lands formerly owned by Caroni (1975) Limited,” warned that there would be no land grabbing as far as Government was concerned. It was a serving of notice on professional land grabbers, including would be squatters, that Government would not tolerate any illegal occupation of the lands. Rahael’s notice was welcome, as the former lands of the now dismantled sugar company represent the largest slice of real estate under single management awaiting development. The plan to set aside a portion of it for industrial estates will allow domestic, regional and industrial investors, shopping around for adequate land space, an opportunity to be in on the proverbial ground floor. There are scores of acres of prime former Caroni land strategically located near to the existing Point Lisas Industrial Estate. The new Minister of Agriculture, Jarrette Narine should seek to have systems introduced which would minimise the risk of individuals leasing Caroni land on the pretext of establishing industries, but in reality for speculation.

Meanwhile, with the growing importance of well planned real estate, the Estate Management Company should involve itself early in the laying down of the infrastructure. Admittedly, some of the lands, which will be set aside for residential areas, will be for low and lower middle income housing in the first instance. Such housing should be given priority before consideration is given to middle income and upper middle income housing, targetting, among others, management staff of industries the EMC hopes to attract. This would mean that the areas would have a mix which would include several levels of housing. There is the need for careful planning, whether the areas selected are for housing or industrial development, or for that matter agriculture. The Estate Management Company has a rare opportunity of building literally from the ground up. Its approach, clearly, should not be “vikey-vie”.