…defaulted on payments to MMA/ADA

THE Abary Cattle Ranch and Company Limited had defaulted on its payments to the Mahaica-Mahaicony Abary/Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) in the millions and its cowboys were accused of rustling cattle from private farmers.

This was noted on Monday morning by Aubrey Charles, the General Manager of the MMA/ADA, as he gave testimony at the Land Commission of Inquiry (CoI) at the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC). Last week, Hemraj Kissoon, Managing-Director and Chair of the Abary Cattle Ranch and Company Limited, told the CoI that the MMA unjustly took away over 2000 acres of land from the group without giving any rhyme or reason.

However, Charles told the CoI that the ranchers group had a history of debts with the MMA, for over 30 years and this, along with concerns from private farmers in the Abary area, was one of the reasons a portion of land – east of an irrigation canal, which was built by the MMA from a loan given by the Inter-American Development Bank, was not given to the ranch group.

Charles explained that the MMA records show that there were two blocks of state lands totaling just over 13,000 acres, situated at the upper reaches of the Abary River on its right bank, at an area called Kopal. He said the lands were held by a company. He said in 1977, the MMA was enacted by an act of Parliament, giving the body power to administer all state lands in Region Five and made provisions for certain drainage and irrigation (D&I) works to be constructed in the region.

Charles said that it was against this backdrop that the government secured the IDB loan and construction of D&I work in the MMA scheme commenced. However, only one phase was undertaken and in that phase of work, a substantial portion of the state lands, which were held by the Abary Cattle Ranch, was absorbed and became part of the MMA conservancy.

He said as part of the works, a main irrigation canal had to be built and the remaining lands at the ranch were divided by the canal. Charles said the lands were split into two and a recent survey indicated that a portion of the land measures 7,784 acres on the western side of the main irrigation canal. The Abary group had been occupying that portion of land. He noted that the group had two titles to the land in the area. He said the lands east of the canal are approximately 2,500 acres and this is the land, which he noted, that the Abary Cattle Ranch wanted.

Charles said prior to the survey, the ranch paid the MMA charges for 7,060 acres of land. He said that the MMA would have done a rough computation from available maps to complete the acreage. He said based on what Kissoon told the CoI last week, “it give the impression as if the MMA take away this land; the title was not renewed.”

Charles informed the commission that the ranch made an application to renew its titles but the MMA refused on the grounds that charges were owed to the body. He said in 1999, the group’s defaulting accounts were in excess of $20M to the MMA and the body was not prepared to renew the title.

He said that later, the MMA decided to waive the amount. “So a substantial amount of the charges owed were waived,” Charles noted. He said from 2000 to 2014, the company did not pay any monies to the MMA but rather, demanded the renewal of its title. He noted in 2013 the MMA moved to the court and received judgment in its favour. He said following this, the two parties arrived at a total of $20M.

Early in 2014, Kissoon’s daughter, Asha Roberts and her spouse met with then Chairman of the MMA board, Rudolph Gajraj. Charles, who was there, said that the woman noted, “don’t worry with dad, dad don’t like to pay money and she undertook to pay the outstanding charges from 2000 to 2014, but asked for some time.” In October 2014, Roberts paid the MMA all the outstanding charges, which was in the vicinity of $33M.

Following this, the land was surveyed and the survey plan was submitted with copies to the MMA for records. He said based on the survey plan, a lease was issued to the Abary Cattle Ranch for the 7,784 acres. He said soon after this was done, the MMA received a letter from the Abary group which requested title for the lands east of the main irrigation canal.

Charles said there are several reasons why the board took into consideration not to give the ranch the lands east of the irrigation canal. He said one such reason is that for over 30 years, the company was not in occupation of the lands and that the company was not paying charges to the MMA during this time.

In addition, he said there are some private estates on the left bank of the Berbice River and the board of the MMA believes that if the proprietors of those estates require a portion of state lands, then the MMA would not be able to avail the estates any state lands.

In addition, he said the records at the MMA were destroyed by fire in 2001 but he recalled working in the Lands and Surveys Department at the MMA and there was a petition signed by several small cattle and cash crop famers who owned lands on the left bank of the Berbice River. In the petition, which was sent to the Minister of Agriculture, the petitioners claimed that before the irrigation canal was built, their cattle were being rustled by cowboys from the Abary Ranch.

It is against that background that the MMA decided that the main canal, which is “more a physical barrier” divide the lands. Charles reiterated to the CoI that the reason why the lease was not given to the Abary Cattle Ranch is because the group was, “at all times owing MMA.” He said it was only in 2014, that the body’s finances with the MMA were straightened. “Prior to that they were never current, if they are saying otherwise let them produce the receipt and we can work from there,” Charles said.

The hearings continue today.