Open appeal to the Minister of Agriculture and the Police as Praedial Larceny threatens Food Security

EDITOR : There is much talk recently about Food Security.

This consciousness therefore begs the question: Food security for whom and at what level?

Does the hard working farmer have the security/ assurance of knowing that his/her crops are safe in the field awaiting their PROPER harvest date while he/she works diligently and faithfully at his/her day to day job having toiled on evenings and weekends to sew a crop and have had to have paid help to sew that crop?

Does it not matter that he/she has made several reports, notably, to the Biabou Police Station and has even submitted a damage/loss assessment from an Agricultural Officer to that effect? Should it not be of GRAVE concern that this Praedial Larcenist has a Market and is open to receiving orders? Are the numerous promises to look into this reported case and other cases concerning this same Larcenist going

to bear fruit or must the victims wait perpetually staring at a “male” papaw tree?

Would you ridicule this farmer when he/ she laments whether there is a future in the Agricultural Sector for young people? Would you dispise him/her when he/she trembles and wonder what would have happened if he/she didn’t have this secular job to fall back on?

If talk of Food Security (for all?) is not without hypocrisy then all is well as is and I therefore humbly rest my case. However if such talk is sincere and well planted/grounded I appeal to those with the relevant authority to toil as they put their hoe to work and till the soil in giving much needed and tangible support to the farmers in their efforts to combat Praedial Larceny so as to meaningfully achieve Food Security at ground level!

G.D. John (Mrs.)