March 3, 2021
By: John Abass Koroma (Port Loko)
After troubling years of waiting for the final transfer of ownership of the large scale palm oil plantation investment from the Sierra Leone Agriculture Company (SLA) to the Sierra Organic Palm Limited, land owners in the three Chiefdoms of BUREH, KASSEH AND MAKONTEH (BKM) in the Port Loko district have on March 1st 2021 formally signed a land lease agreement.
This signing follows the payment of 378 million Leones disbursed among land owning families in the above named chiefdoms as surface rent.
Amadu Yakanu Kamara is the Vice Chairman of the Land Owners Committee. Upon receiving 14 million Leones on behalf of his family, he told this medium that he felt relieved.
“I am overwhelmed…who cannot be happy on a day like this?” He noted that their communities must fully support the Sierra Organic Palm Limited in their investment as he believes the company will improve their living standards. Similar statements were made by other beneficiaries, including women.
The Sierra organic Palm Limited should now operate, according to the law suit farm NAMATI, who are representing the Land Owners, full time operations without hindrance from the community.
Hassan A Sesay is the Program Officer at NAMATI Law Center. He explained to A-Z Newspaper that the agreement detailed the limitations and responsibilities for both the company and the communities.
He further stated that the company has certain obligations that include the timely payment of surface rents, by which 50% should go to land owners, 20% to chiefdom council, 20% to the Local Council whiles the remaining 10% to be paid as withholding task.
The 35 years agreement also made provision for reviewing after 20 years so as to create mutual understanding between the company and the communities as well as to review with an addition of 5% increment to the surface rent amount which, according to government policy, stands at USD25 per hectare.
The company is currently occupying 410 hectares of land with oil palm plantation. In this regard therefore, the company has an obligation to, according to the agreement; pay USD2, 000 as corporate social responsibility. These funds should be utilized to benefit people who do not own lands used by the company but are within the communities.
Mohamed Kamara is the Project Manager for the Sierra Organic Palm Limited. Speaking to this medium, he emphasized the need for the large investment, noting that whilst the land owners and users are seeking for development in their communities; the company can only support their aspirations if it is able to realize profit.
In that regard, he noted that people should join the company to not only stop the fire incidences around the plantations, but should also take ownership to protect the company’s properties. He said, just in few months, there has been at least two fire indents in the plantations, which if not controlled can cripple the company.
He expressed hope that the communities will support the company to expand and establish a processing factory in the chiefdom that minimizes operational cost.