7 News Belize

Lands Stalling With Santander Solution
posted (January 25, 2016)
It made major news last year June when the Santander Group settled their dispute with the 31 farmers of Valley of Peace for the crops which were destroyed in that incident in March 2014.

The multinational company, handed over a piece land to them valued at 320 thousand dollars, and they went the extra mile to show goodwill by surveying it, clearing it, and creating an access to water for the farmers to grow their crops.

The company even gave them 66 thousand dollars to relocate their crops, and committed to paying the stamp duties for the transfer of land titles to the farms. With such a generous donation, you'd think that these farmers had everything they could have asked for, right? Well, the problem is that the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Lands Department has created a bottleneck where these land titles haven't been finalized.

PUP's Julius Espat discussed it in the House of Representatives on last week Friday's Meeting, and here's what he had to say:

Hon. Julius Espat, Area Rep., - Cayo South
"And then the Santander Group went to the third party, the government of Belize. Previously under the leadership of the Deputy Prime Minister who I also met and we spoke about briefly. Mr. Speaker but it is now going for over 6 months and I as the area representative for these people in 31 families in the Valley of Peace, went to see the Santander Group to see how far we were because the agreement said that everything should have been completed by August of last year. We visited the property, as I said everything has been done and the Santander Group has reported to us that they have tried all that they could to make sure that the government of Belize specifically the Ministry of Lands issue the lands certificate to these needy and poor farmers. I understand that there has been a change in the ministry and Honorable member from Orange Walk North is not the minister anymore, but we have the junior minister here, the member from Belize Rural Central if I am not mistaken and the Senator Mr. Godwin Hulse is the Minister of Lands. But Mr. Speaker these farmers need their titles and it's been too long and now 2 parties are starting to lose faith in the agreed proposal that was made and it would be a sad situation."

Michael Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House
"Contact your colleague member. Can't you contact your colleague who is?... I mean he is your colleague who is the Minister of Natural Resources."

Hon. Julius Espat, Area Rep., - Cayo South
"Will you allow me to finish my presentation Mr. Speaker?"

Michael Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House
"I am saying I have to determine what you are saying is urgent."

Hon. Julius Espat, Area Rep., - Cayo South
"It is urgent. It is a matter of life and death for these people."

Michael Peyrefitte, Speaker of the House
"So then you as the member of Cayo South don't want to contact the current minister of natural resources?"

Hon. Julius Espat, Area Rep., - Cayo South
"We have contacted the ministry, but from you read the news last night, there seems to be a total chaos in that ministry at this present time."

After Espat's speech, Prime Minister Dean Barrow promised to look into the matter personally.

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