BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 22nd January 2021)-“All me life me see wicked things happen but me never see nothing like ah this; this magnitude at all! All me pipes chop up and me fruits trees dem chop down!”
So said a local farmer in Nevis known as ‘Keybo’ in the aftermath of a variety of his crops being destroyed by intruder(s) for which he says he made a police report closely following another incident which happened a week or less than a week before.
Attempts to contact him for an interview were unsuccessful. However, in details gathered from a social media video interview session on Tuesday 19th January 2021 he talked about the incident while on location in the Spring Hill area waiting for police.
Crops like mango, banana, pear (avocado), coconut, breadfruit, papaya, soursop trees have been destroyed.
Keybo disclosed that some time ago he lost 250 feet of pipe and got the police involved by going to the police station.
“The police did their work. They happen to find the pipe but they didn’t apprehend anybody for the pipe dem because the pipes were in a ghaut beyond me on the other side where somebody else farming but the pipes wasn’t on dey farm…so I took the pipes and I brought back the pipes on my farm. I hooked up the pipe to back where it was. Well that was maybe about a week ago or less than a week ago but now I come this morning, this is what I discover.”
My while crops dem destroy but guess what? Me nar go dutty me soul wid nobody. Me done call the police. Ah here waiting til they come. When they come ah give dem a statement and then ah clean up me banana field. That is me plan. Me ain’t got no oda plan but whoever do dis, whoever chop down these, whoever de people dem be they got it to pay for…not me and me know dah fu sure.”
There are also claims that his fencing was recently damaged making entry for roaming animals who grazed about the farm.
As gathered by this media house, there has been an ongoing controversy regarding certain land areas occupied by some farmers who are being accused of squatting.