Jamaica: Coffee farmers getting day in court

Disgruntled coffee farmers are to finally start getting their day in court.

Attorneys representing coffee farmers and the liquidators of the collapsed Dyoll Insurance Company are slated to square off in the Supreme Court Monday.

The two sides are battling over three million US dollars which the coffee farmers contend is due to them as compensation for losses incurred in Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

But the liquidator, John Lee, has refuted the coffee farmers’ claim.

The money was being managed by Dyoll under a Special Coffee Insurance Scheme.

President of the Jamaica Agriculture Society, Senator Norman Grant notes that both parties have sharp differences over the funds.

The JAS is representing the coffee farmers.

Mr. Grant says he expects the matter to be drawn out in court.

In the interim, he is urging the government to assist the coffee farmers with funding to prepare their crop for the 2006/2007 season.