The statements made by the government and in particular the president and the minister of Land Policy and Forest Management evidently triggered news reports and comments on social media. It was suggested that the Mennonites who are working on three projects of  Braganza are illegal migrants. But nothing could be further from the truth. All of the Mennonites who came here from Belize and Brazil have a visa. It was also said that the Mennonites are conducting illegal activities but that also is not true. The projects are reportedly the result of agreements with the government. If the government is deliberately undermining the agreements, it will have to face the consequences. Braganza has reportedly put together a USD 86 million claim for damages. In April 2026  Braganza Marketing Group NV had revealed the formal collaboration with the government. “For the past decades the government has strived for improvements of the results of the agrarian sector. This sector must be an important pillar of the economy especially as the income from gold, gas and oil has dwindled. Billions in income are needed from the agrarian sector. The government also wants to become the foodshed of the Caricom and to support the Caricom’s efforts to reduce imports by 25 percent. This is the reason why the government opted for a collaboration with the  Braganza Marketing Group NV,” said Braganza. The government and  Braganza agreed to collaborate on 3 projects which cover 34,185 hectares in total along the road to West Suriname. These projects are projected to generate USD 78.8 million annually. “This is a valid reason to collaborate on the development of the hinterland and Suriname.” After the agreements were reached Braganza urged the government to inform the nation. “The government  remains silent on the collaboration so we opted for a press release in April. There are no illegal Mennonites from Belize and Mexico. No illegal activities are being conducted at three locations and only what was agreed upon with the Ministry of Agriculture, Stock Breeding and Fisheries is being done. The Environmental Effect Report is being put together so that it can be presented to the National Environment Authority. Not a single Mennonite in our project has received a writ and not a single Mennonite has been instructed to leave or pack up.”