Address By The Hon. Roger Clarke Minister of Agriculture And Fisheries
Praedial Larceny Sensitization To Police Constables
January 24, 2012
Twickenham Park, St. Catherine
Mr. Chairman, Assistant Commissioner, Ray Palmer, Senior Officers, Constables, Ladies And Gentlemen – Good Morning. Let Me Just Say How Very Pleased I Am To See These Bright Young Persons, Who Have Entered The Constabulary, And Whose Task It Will Be Shortly To Enforce The Provisions Of The Praedial Larceny Legislations And Help Rid Jamaica Of This Affliction. I Don’t Know When Again I Will Have The Opportunity To Address 140 Police Constables, So I Deem This Moment A Great Privilege.
As Many Of You Should Be Aware, Successive Administrations Have Talked And Talked About Praedial Larceny And Its Negative Effects. We Have All Put Systems In Place To Deal With This Dreaded Problem, But There Is One Significant Factor That Curtails The Programme’s Effectiveness And That Is – Enforcement!! Both By The Police And The Judiciary.
The Reality Is That Praedial Larceny Is Unfortunately Treated With Very Scant Regard And As A Result There Is Limited Enforcement. When The Two-Foot Puss Robs A Farmer Of His Crops, His Livestock, Or Causes Illicit Fire To Cane Fields – It Is Not Only Hurting The Farmer But Is Also A Major Loss In Terms Of Energy And Financial Investment. So This One Day Sensitization Workshop Is Timely And Comes At A Crucial Time When We Must All Collectively Say Enough Is Enough. We Must Send A Strong Signal To Persons Who Reap What They Do Not Sow. The Time Has Come To Crush This Menace. Too Often We Seen On Our Television, The Anguish And Pain Of Our Farmers Who Have Suffered From The Hands Of Thieves. We Sometimes See As Well The Other Extreme, When The Crooks Are Caught By Residents And Exact Their Own Brand Of Justice. We Do Not Condone Jungle Justice And So Would Rather The Systems Put In Place To Work.
We lose up to 5 billion dollars per annum due to This scourge and this Is why we are again making a concerted effort to tackle the problem...
You See, Praedial Larceny Poses A Serious Threat To The Livelihoods Of Farmers And Serves As A Disincentive For Investment In Agricultural Activities. Overtime, Praedial Larceny Has Evolved From “Petty Theft” To A Very Organized Activity. We Lose Up To 5 Billion Dollars Per Annum Due To This Scourge And This Is Why We Are Again Making A Concerted Effort To Tackle The Problem. Through Your Support, We Can Make A Difference And Change The Fortunes Of Our Farmers And Attract Even More Investments In Agricultural Activities.
We Want To Sensitize You To The Fact That You Can’t “Let Off” A Man Because Him Steal Two Han’ A Banana Or Him Light A Sugar Cane Field. If We Are Truly Serious About Denting This Problem, No Matter The Hew And Cry, Then We Must Do What We Must.
In Enforcing The Law, I Must Inform You That In 2005 There Were Some Amendments To The Agricultural Produce Act. The Amendments Included The Widening Of The Definition Of Agricultural Produce Which Now Includes Livestock And Fish, Prior To That This Was Not The Case. The Change Was Necessary As It Will Enhance Food Safety And Security, Traceability And Identification Of Produce Entering The Food Chain From Farm To End-User And Satisfy Local And International Laws. Therefore, Although Already Mandated In Law, It Is Now More Vital Than Ever That Farmers And Vendors Issue To Purchaser A Receipt For Produce Bought. The Receipt Must Become A Part Of The Farmers And Vendors Daily Operation! The Agricultual Receipt Book Will Be Available At Rada Offices And Jamaica Agricultural Society’s Offices Islandwide. Your Task Is To Ensure That Farmers And Vendors Comply With The Law.
We Are Also Imploring Produce Dealers To Get Licensed. The Fact Is That Many Of Them Are Engaged In Buying And Selling Or Buying And Exporting Of Agricultural Goods Without The Requisite License. The Ministry’s Plant Quarantine Division, The Agency Which Issues These Licenses Stands Ready And Willing To Assist You To Become Licensed. Let Those Who Have Ear To Hear, Let Them Hear!
In Closing, I Charge You Graduates Of The Constabulary To Be The Trail Blazers Of This Programme, By Enforcing Breaches Of The Agricultural Produce Act And Other Acts Related To The Theft Of Agricultural Produce. Yours Is Not A Daunting Task, But It Requires Will And Commitment.
We Believe That With Increased Enforcement And Stiffer Penalty By The Judiciary, This Will Signal A New Dawn For Our Farmers And The Country At Large.
Agriculture Is Our Way To Prosperity. If We Can Put A Stop To This Challenge – We Can Grow Our Economy,
We Can Provide Jobs, We Can Increase Earnings, And We Can Feed Ourselves.
We Can Do This…Yes We Can!