But the St Marnock’s spokesman told the Financial Gazette: "We went into this deal under duress because they told us we should either co-exist with them or they would stop us from harvesting the crop (at Bradfield farm) and call the army and police to evict us.
"We agreed to give them $6 million on condition that we harvest our crop and they ensure that our other farm, St Marnock’s, is not invaded. All this was under duress. We saw that they were not interested in land, they were interested in money."
Farmers said the extortion scam, which is prevalent in the commercial farming sector countrywide, was similar to the protection rackets run by the Mafia.
Another version of the scam involves war veterans and farmers resettled under the land redistribution programme demanding that owners of designated properties should grow crops on a portion of the farms, at their cost, and then hand over the proceeds.
Farmers who have refused to agree to this arrangement have been prevented from growing any crops on their properties.
"We agreed to give them $6 million on condition that we harvest our crop and they ensure that our other farm, St Marnock’s, is not invaded. All this was under duress. We saw that they were not interested in land, they were interested in money."
Farmers said the extortion scam, which is prevalent in the commercial farming sector countrywide, was similar to the protection rackets run by the Mafia.
Another version of the scam involves war veterans and farmers resettled under the land redistribution programme demanding that owners of designated properties should grow crops on a portion of the farms, at their cost, and then hand over the proceeds.
Farmers who have refused to agree to this arrangement have been prevented from growing any crops on their properties.