It made news last year when 31 farmers from Valley of Peace accused Santander Farms - known then as Green Tropics - of destroying over 150 acres of crops. It caused a protracted back and forth which ended up all the way in the Supreme court. Well, today, the multinational company announced that it has settled with the farmers by giving them huge parcels of land to farm on.
That happened on Saturday when the CEO of the Santander Group, Jose Rodriguez, handed over 160 acres of land to the president of the Agricultural Association of Valley of Piece, Ever Blandon. That land, according to Santander's statement is located in Belmopan, and at the handing over event, 22 of the 31 farmers were present to witness for themselves that they have now become landowners. The land is valued at 320 thousand dollars, and not only did Santander survey it, they cleared it, and created an access to a water source for the farmers to start growing their crops. The land titles from the Ministry of Natural Resources are reportedly on the way, and the company has committed to paying the stamp duties for the transfer of titles to the farmers.
At the time of the handing over, the farmers were still occupying 43 acres of land belonging to Santander, and so the company has also decided to give them an additional $66,000 to assist in the expenses of relocating to their new lands.
Santander says that they and the farmers have committed to moving forward as partners in the community, since they will now be long-term neighbors.
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