Director of Agriculture, Ricky Brumant, has said Dominica needs to cut down on the imports of white potatoes.
He made that statement while addressing a key stakeholder’s consultation to highlight key findings of growing Irish potatoes in Dominica.
“This is not the true potential for us, we import into this country a substantial amount of white potatoes and we are saying strategically, so through interventions, we want to cut down on that yearly that we ultimately will satisfy our tables, satisfy our pockets, satisfy the income requirement of our farm families,” Brumant said.
He continued, “We have worked in white potatoes for a number of years and in the Ministry of Agriculture we have seen white potatoes as a game changer for us in the agricultural sector and we know we will do much better with potato as a commodity.”
According to him, the Ministry of Agriculture has looked at a number of crops that will build the agricultural sector and, “so we have grouped them into different categories and white potato is certainly one of them.”
Brumant explained that by bringing all the stakeholders together, “we are going to set a pace to ensure that at the end of the day multiplied millions that leave the country through imports, will stay here.”
He noted that the Ministry of Agriculture will continue to position itself and lay the foundation for ensuring that the farmers of Dominica realize that income, benefit and employment are realized in order for the country to develop.
The consultation, held at Garraway Hotel, is being undertaken by the Promotion of Regional Opportunities for Produce through Enterprises and Linkages (PROPEL) which is implemented by the Canada Hunger Foundation (CHF) with support from the government of Canada through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD).
It is also being implemented in eight beneficiary countries across the Caribbean.
We wast time when it comes to us doing any thing for our selves is it big enough can we supply is it going to be cheaper , we eat rotten food from overseas they send us food they would not eat, they would not feed it to there dogs. When ever we take on a project what ever the he’ll the problem is fix it why do we send people to college. How much money do we send over seas thats okey. We are a bunch of sick people in the head rum has taken over our brains.
Hear we go again with people who want to stay in slavery? Go and ask president Clinton what he did to dominica banana industry , all over the world black people wants to be free to give the slave master all there money. Only one race on the planet that does that, they are not thinking how to keep their money it is so sad. When are we going to free our minds. Do you see any other race on the planet my Kids is only going to eat corn flakes and give some one who thinks you are a savage or an animal who will not live you so sad
all u even want to tell me what potatoe to eat papa.that potatoe all you making there that to hard its the worst i have ever eaten
What exactly justifies the excessive costs of local potatoes on the market especially as the farmers are exempt from paying taxes on their produce?
Don’t even consider using the word ‘organic’ because we jolly well know that the amount of farmers that DON’T bombard their crops with chemical fertilizers in Dominica for greater yields can be counted on one hand.
I agree. Dominica should decrease importation. Keep it as local as possible and buy local. Those who can grow their own, I recommend that.
Sweet potatoes are healthier than the white ones. I love sweet potatoes. They can be prepared in various ways just as white potatoes; both together as well.
As I have stated, Google the benefits of . . . . and relevant recipes.
I agree that one should be able to spend and buy wherever the supply comes from ; however in reality you are competing with big agro companies . So there is nothing wrong if the local farmer could get a few pennies more for his produce. FYI every country protects their local farmers . So why not here ? .as long as the price is reasonable support the local guy .
In what supermarket can I buy the same size potatoes as those shown in the photo?All I’ve been able to find lately are only slightly bigger than LIMES..!
Yes my man, they kept the big ones for show but in the shop we have to buy the smaller ones, they harvest before they are even properly ready. Greed my friend. What they are not telling you is how much we import potatoes in the form of frozen fries. Go and ask how much KFC is getting through every week for instance, all imported. Can our farmers compete with that? Tell the truth or stop moaning.
Mr. Brumant Whilst you are asking for fewer potaotes to be imported, I have a few concerns.
1. Can we supply enough white potatoes on a local level?
2. Why are rotten potatoes sold to the farmers?
3 What education is given to farmers on the growing and harvesting of white potatoes?
4. Why is that certain technical head in the MOA take so much time to plow plots?
5. What assistance is given to farmers who are interested in growing potatoes.
Our ag policy is schizophrenic. On one hand, we call ourselves Nature Island, push eco and health tourism, mouth sustainability, and are supposedly near end of a 10 year plan to be an “Organic Island.” On the other hand, MoA only imports treated potato seed and focuses its aid on providing chemicals and chemical advice to farmers. I’ll happily grow potatoes, MoA, but please arrange importation of organic seed and give greater priority to facilitating organic growers whether at farm or backyard level.
Your choice but does it have to be organic? Dominicans have done without organic for all those years. It has not made them sick or killed them. Furthermore, organic is more expensive. Recently, I heard through the Toronto Media that an organic grown produce was recalled.
Some of us in Canada refuse to purchase organic due to the expense. All those years we never had organic, we are still healthy. Thank God. If some are not one hundred per cent healthy, they are still relatively so. I may only purchase organic if it is on sale.
So can I import the purple potatoes?
If you are an importer, you are free to do so or grow your own. You can make different dishes with the different color potatoes. They are tasty.
Google “the benefits” of all the potatoes, sweet ones as well.
Agriculture is our life blood. It’s time to start growing more of what we eat and save millions on our food import bills.
Growing your own could be fun as well. It takes effort and time. When you reap them you will be happy and satisfied that you did. Better yet when they are prepared for a meal.
tell that to Skerrit
Dominica’s potatoes are the best potatoes I have ever eaten, and that comment comes from a Dominican/Canadian.
Crops are protected everywhere. Food is a strategic commodity. We should also be banning the importation of CHICKEN to stimulate local production. Put Dominica before the merchants!
You have fertile soil and rain from Heaven
They must be tasty.
Dominicans should commence breeding chickens. Why have they not been doing that?
They should also breed goat, cattle, sheep and pigs in abundance for nationals’ consumption. The government should assist and also provide expertise to breed them healthily, etc.
Hopefully, in time Dominicans will be self-reliant and not depend on importation. It takes time. I think the government is doing its utmost to help D/cans in this respect and one day bring it to fruition.
there is great need to improve the quality they are too hard.
I believe it’s a matter if acquired taste. It’s hard because it’s fresh and not sitting in some cold storage unit until it reaches our shots a few years after………… Which is when its blemish and soft and historically, that’s all we knew and ate.
Eat what we grow, grow what we eat.
Are those locally-grown white potatoes genetically modified?
They are as genetically modified as our political and religious leaders.
Where can i buy potatoe plants? Does the government have them for sale?
yes at the botanical gardens $80.00 for 100lbs bag with a return ratio of 3 – 8
sorry ratio 1:3 up to 8
Where can i buy potatoe plants? Does the government have them for sale?
lol I want to plant! amazing ! won’t be surprised if you have two left hands.
Did you this article let alone understand what you read.
if you were a D/can or simply a common-sensed individual you would have noticed the word seed mentioned a few times. Potato plants!!!!! heaven help ur farm!
I guess like my aunts husband would say to us when we went on his farm to help he wants some macaroni seeds lol! To show us how dumb we were with our high school education.
My buddy Give it to dem ,hope you enjoy this one.
Laughter’s really the best Medicine
I believe in a free market and we should have the freedom to spend our money where we want. We should not create a protective market for our farmers at the expense of the consumers. The reality is that there is a period every year where I am prevented from purchasing imported potatoes. I do not mind, provided our farmers produce potatoes in sufficient quantity to supply the local market at at leas the same price as the imported product. Our neighbours in Guadeloupe manage to do that. Are we going to stop produce from them coming here, whilst insisting that they should buy ours? And don’t come with that “old potato” that farmers in Guadeloupe are subsidised when our farmers are exempt from paying tax on the proceeds from their farming actvities and receive subsidised inputs and assistance from govt. advisors at no charge.
ohhh emmm geeee u just cant please dominicans they complain and complain about everything most of the imported potatoes taste funny they look nice and clean on the outside with big black spots in the center…they aren’t going to stop imports on foreign potatoes so u can go on purchasing your foreign potatoes….but for some of us who like to choose what we want we now have choices local potatoes taste sooo much better granted some might be on the small side but what they are trying to do is to give the people choices and help build our local market and help local farmers make more money so what is there to complain about …am i missing something here if so please enlighten me…so if farmers produce good quality potatoes(i.e bigger and better than they are now,which they just might because now they will be able to compete on the market with foreign potatoes,why cant we give them a chance to show us their full potential)we will cut down the cost of imports which is beneficial to all
i really hate to rant on here but i just don’t understand people who are so quick to be negative nancys on every single thing on here just because they can……increased production might actually lead to lowered prices …..thats the same thing they are trying to do with the abbatoir ; yes foreign chicken will be imported but less of it providing dominicans choose to purchase locally the bigger picture here means we the people can now make choices
The black spots you observe could be a sign of a nutrient deficiency in the soils where the potatoes are grown .The most likely one is boron since our soils are devoid of the mineral tourmaline. However the prudent use of animal manures may assist in alleviating the problem
No expiry date on the potatoes?
Maybe there should be if they have black spots inside. It means they are over matured and old.
Really? That’s our local potatoes?
I have never seen our local potatoes on the shelf this big like what is being shown in the photos. Normally what I see at the supermarkets are these little things that are only good for soups.
i know what u mean but this should encourage farmers to put more effort into growing bigger and better potatoes please give them a chance but one thing u cant argue is how much better they taste though
They may be the small ones. If they are, they are too small to peel. They are cooked as they are. Just wash and use them also cut them if you wish and bake them in a casserole.
I have never bought the small ones because I do not want to eat them with the skin on.
Way to go. Let’s start being self-sufficient and save millions.
you are Dominican! and i am tooooo!