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Liberia: Gov\'t On Concession Land Disputes
Liberia: Gov\'t On Concession Land Disputes
08/05/2013 (AllAfrica.com) - President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on April 4 convened a meeting with concessionaires operating in Liberia, including the managements of Sime Darby Plantation (Liberia) Golden Veroleum Liberia, to resolve issues of land and community rights.
From the meeting, it was concluded that a team headed by the Land Commission and comprising the Ministries of Agriculture and Lands, Mines & Energy, and the National Investment Commission identify available land for the expansion of Sime Darby and Golden Veroleum to enable the concessionaires meet their planting schedule.
The meeting mandated the Ministry of Lands and Mines to develop modalities to allow the concessionaires contract external surveyors in order to accelerate their operations.
It was also agreed that a team headed by the Ministry of Labour and including the Ministries of Agriculture and Internal Affairs is to intervene urgently regarding the layoff of some 600 workers at Sime Darby.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs along with Land Commission and the Ministries of Labour, Agriculture and Information are to commence consultations with affected communities to inform them on the contents of concessions agreements and the benefits that will accrue to them, and to address the communities' concerns and claims.
However, Finance Ministry was directed and subsequently made available the required resources to enable the teams to commence their work, respectively. In keeping with the meeting's decision, the President, on 5 April 2013 signed Executive Order No. 50, renewing expired Executive Order No. 16 on the exportation of unprocessed natural rubber.
The President met with a delegation from the Sime Darby Plantation on April 18, which informed her that the company has spent over US$85 million in less than three years in Liberia.
Sime Darby complained that land expansion has been delayed, saying instead of having planted 24,000 hectares with oil palm and rubber, it has planted only 5,237 hectares of oil palm.
Sime Darby said with over 700,000 overgrown seedlings unplanted and excess manpower not being fully utilized, the company was compelled in March to cancel 652 workers' contracts, among others.
From April 24 to 26, 2013, President toured the Golden Veroleum oil palm nurseries in Numapoh/Kpanyan and in Butaw District, where she met separately with the management and the employees in an effort to resolve outstanding issues. The company also informed President Sirleaf it has planted 6,000 acres, which supports long-term employment for 600 local employees from the landed communities.
It said 1,000 of the 1,730 employees hired for the expansion had no proper work to do since January as the company stopped planting due to a complaint before the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Goldern Veroleum reported that the RSPO ruled, in February, that it (GVL) was not in violation of RSPO new planting regulations, but should resolve any complaints.
It further said with 1.2 million unplanted seedlings at its Wakefield Nursery - good for 14,400 acres of planting by GVL or smallholders - 700,000 seedlings were now overage and can become unplantable month by month, among others.
An Executive Mansion release said during her visit to the GVL plantations, the President symbolically planted young seedlings as a demonstration of government's strong policy on agriculture.
From the meeting, it was concluded that a team headed by the Land Commission and comprising the Ministries of Agriculture and Lands, Mines & Energy, and the National Investment Commission identify available land for the expansion of Sime Darby and Golden Veroleum to enable the concessionaires meet their planting schedule.
The meeting mandated the Ministry of Lands and Mines to develop modalities to allow the concessionaires contract external surveyors in order to accelerate their operations.
It was also agreed that a team headed by the Ministry of Labour and including the Ministries of Agriculture and Internal Affairs is to intervene urgently regarding the layoff of some 600 workers at Sime Darby.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs along with Land Commission and the Ministries of Labour, Agriculture and Information are to commence consultations with affected communities to inform them on the contents of concessions agreements and the benefits that will accrue to them, and to address the communities' concerns and claims.
However, Finance Ministry was directed and subsequently made available the required resources to enable the teams to commence their work, respectively. In keeping with the meeting's decision, the President, on 5 April 2013 signed Executive Order No. 50, renewing expired Executive Order No. 16 on the exportation of unprocessed natural rubber.
The President met with a delegation from the Sime Darby Plantation on April 18, which informed her that the company has spent over US$85 million in less than three years in Liberia.
Sime Darby complained that land expansion has been delayed, saying instead of having planted 24,000 hectares with oil palm and rubber, it has planted only 5,237 hectares of oil palm.
Sime Darby said with over 700,000 overgrown seedlings unplanted and excess manpower not being fully utilized, the company was compelled in March to cancel 652 workers' contracts, among others.
From April 24 to 26, 2013, President toured the Golden Veroleum oil palm nurseries in Numapoh/Kpanyan and in Butaw District, where she met separately with the management and the employees in an effort to resolve outstanding issues. The company also informed President Sirleaf it has planted 6,000 acres, which supports long-term employment for 600 local employees from the landed communities.
It said 1,000 of the 1,730 employees hired for the expansion had no proper work to do since January as the company stopped planting due to a complaint before the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Goldern Veroleum reported that the RSPO ruled, in February, that it (GVL) was not in violation of RSPO new planting regulations, but should resolve any complaints.
It further said with 1.2 million unplanted seedlings at its Wakefield Nursery - good for 14,400 acres of planting by GVL or smallholders - 700,000 seedlings were now overage and can become unplantable month by month, among others.
An Executive Mansion release said during her visit to the GVL plantations, the President symbolically planted young seedlings as a demonstration of government's strong policy on agriculture.