200-plus ex-Caroni workers receive leases after 22-year wait

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Minister of Legal Affairs Saddam Hosein, fifth from left, and Minister of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries Ravi Ratiram, fifth from right, with Caroni lease recipients at a distribution ceremony, Southern Academy for the Performing Arts, San Fernando on August 12. - Photo by Innis Francis

More than 200 former Caroni (1975) Ltd workers were granted long-awaited land leases on August 12, ending a 22-year wait for two-acre agricultural plots and residential lots in the Picton area in south Trinidad.

The distribution ceremony took place at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) in San Fernando, under the theme Rooted in resilience.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar delivered the feature address, reflecting on the closure of the sugar-producing company in 2003 under the then-PNM government, which she said had devastated livelihoods and communities across the country.

"A lease is a key to open four doors," Persad-Bissessar told the audience of former workers and their families. "One is security of tenure, that is, the legal right to build, to improve, to ensure and plan."

She continued, "The second is that it would allow the recipients access to finance, mortgages, equipment, and working capital. And third, productive enterprises such as crops, livestock, and agro-processing that could create jobs."

She identified the fourth, generational wealth, which she said is a lawful asset they now have and can pass on to their children and grandchildren.

Persad-Bissessar praised the resilience of the former workers, saying, "You kept fields in line, you kept mills turning and you kept communities together. When the gates of this bedrock industry were shuttered so destructively, you still stood guard over your families, your neighbours and your dignity," she said.

"You are the roots of this republic, and your resilience is a standard by which my government will be judged."

The ceremony coincided with UN International Youth Day, and Persad-Bissessar used the occasion to deliver a heartfelt message to the children and grandchildren of the lease recipients, especially those from Penal.

"This land is your inheritance. This land is your launch pad. Never be ashamed of your roots. Modern agriculture is as much as science and software as soil is," she said, pointing to innovations such as protected cropping, drip irrigation, cold chain logistics, e-commerce and exports.

"You can now scale their work by building applications for packing houses, mastering the greenhouse, turning pepper into premium sauces," she said, urging youth to embrace agriculture as a path of innovation and prosperity.

"You are not only tomorrow's leaders, you are today's problem solvers. Your creativity, discipline, and community ties can turn these leases into engines of food security, jobs, and pride right here at home. My government is backing you."

She called on recipients to "claim their acres with confidence," and treat the leases as both a business opportunity and a family legacy.

"If you bring the energy and ideas, my government will meet you with the tools and support to build a more just, resilient and prosperous nation where people are winning, the country is progressing, and prosperity is returning."

Persad-Bissessar also reflected on her personal connection to the land, sharing that her grandfather was a cane farmer.

She recounted the strides made during her first term as PM in 2010, including the execution of 3,062 two-acre agricultural leases, 3,097 residential leases, and the distribution of 1,764 residential lots. She said a total of 8,885 former Caroni workers benefitted.

She also reminded the audience that in 2012, 510 agricultural leases were issued, and in June 2015, final compensation payments began to 3,481 cane farmers totaling $27 million, part of the $130 million owed.

However, she said, after 2015, progress stalled.

"In April 2025, I reaffirmed my pledge to settle the $110 million still owed to the farmers," she remarked.

Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Ravi Ratiram and Minister in the Ministry Saddam Hosein also addressed the gathering.

Ratiram encouraged recipients to view the land as both a legacy and an opportunity to create sustainable livelihoods and contribute to national food security.

Hosein praised the Prime Minister for her leadership, saying she had "corrected a societal and historical ill" by ensuring the former workers finally received their due.

The event featured cultural performances by Iere Theatre Productions, a song by Brandon Kissoon as well as Kerbasi Daniel playing the pan.