PRAEDIAL LARCENY has become such an organised crime that it has put farming in Barbados under siege, says head of the Extension Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Barney Callender.
“Government is trying to put legislation in place but it is a business now where people are working together and are able to harvest large areas of crops in a short space of time,” he pointed out yesterday during the inaugural Plant Clinic held at King George V Memorial Park, St Philip.
“Farmers can handle pests and diseases as they are educated, but praedial larceny is driving farmers crazy. Something must be done to deter this scourge because it is really deterring farming.
“I know of some people who have stopped farming because of it. Even if you take a break for an hour, [thieves] can come in and reap [what they have not sown],” he lamented.
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