Agricultural Minister Johnson Drigo has stated that Dominica plans to resume banana exports to the United Kingdom this year.
The Minister said that meetings are being held to facilitate the progress of the banana exports project.
“Well we ae rapidly establishing the banana unit,” Drigo said. “There are meetings going on across the island. Meeting farmers who are targeted to produce for the export market.”
According to him, the targeted farmers will receive all the support that they need.
“As we speak, farmers can now purchase their oils at a reduced price,” he said, referring to oils to combat the dreaded Black Sigatoka disease.
The price reduction is effective at the Farmers Services centres at La Plaine, Castle Bruce, Marigot, Portsmouth and Roseau.
According to Drigo as of this week, fertilizer will be sold to farmers at a reduced price of $35 per bag.
Drigo said that all of this is aimed at assisting the farmers in the rehabilitation of their farms.
“We are moving on,” he remarked.
The export of bananas to the United Kingdom has been at a standstill for about four years as a result of Black Sigatoka.
Do some of us read to understand or we just read to comment nonsense???? Obviously, its a process which has to be undertaken. Bananas must be planted, treated , harvested whatever the process of producing bananas involves. The minister is clearly not talking about bananas available now. Please read to understand and not just to write a comment on DNO..
But allu not serious, charging farmers for oil TO FIGHT BLACK SICKaTOKA? You don’t want to win.
It is my sincerest hope that they comply for the common good.
My question is !!! Who’s planting the bananas ??? The Haitians since I understood the local youngsters only steal what’s planted….
And ME I love your comment…Lol…
There are not enough bananas for domestic consumption, is export allu gonna export, a failed government, chasing their tail
Drigo also exports fish..Drigo how many tonnes of fish have you exported so far for January?
Using that oil does not save the crop… only slowly deters the disease.
There is a more natural way to do it… but I will not share
When we are in the togetherness again, the info WILL be leaked!
lol
Mr Drigo, this is good investment for Dominica however, we need a good strategy for a productive outcome. Supply farmers for what it takes, to get good products. It is a step for better but, try to get it up here in USA as well. I need real food to eat with my fresh fish.
So how comes I have trouble finding a decent banana in my own country mr. Drigo, please explain that. Is it because exporting all of them to England?
Mr. Drigo lives in cloud cuckoo land. Poor man!
awa wi. a few weeks ago someone asked the for banana to export to the caribbean and he say it have a shortage. so where de bananas comin out. i jus talk to a farmer last week and he told me he put cutlass and cow in his fig.
what is the target for export ? how many tonnes ? how often ? mr. drigo .
I am glad that the doors to export bananas are still opened but where the bananas nah? I look at the country especially in the rural area and bananas are scarce. The little that is still available seeing miseh. So where are the bananas going to come from so we can sell to the UK?
That minister realy mad, you can plant bananas tree in your room now and sikatoka will destroy it.
That is a good approach however you have to get rid of the disease
Ask America to un-pollute our air and water. Then the disease will be gone.
They know exactly what they did to us.
Anything that can bring additional revenue to the people and island is always welcomed.
Good luck mr. Drigo but this I would say that is a remote pipedream. one Kg. of loose bananas can be had in U.K. supermarkets for £068/kg. That is equivalent to E.C.$.1.05/lb. Yet our own bananas, of inferior quality retail in our local supermarkets for E.C.1.55/lb. How can we possibly compete on the U.K. market. The truth is that bananas cost less in the U.K. then here in Dominica. I’m not a mathematician but something does not add up.
one thing i agree wit u on “Im not a mathematician” – £0.68/kg is more like EC$2.21 not 1.05EC so its actual cheaper in Dominica
Back to school my friend. Even I know that a pound is smaller than a kilo. you have 2.2.lb to a kg. you understand?
‘Dominican’ used both kg and lb. 1 Kg is about 2.2lb, so his calculation is correct. GBP0.68/kg is roughly GBP0.30/lb, which is roughly equal to XCD1.05/lb in the UK.
banana die
Drigo, you again? Why don’t you just locate your office to the Roseau Public Cemetery? Gizzzzzz!
All we have to do is be positive and work towards a better Dominica. We all can’t be leaders, lets make this a reality and support it.
You going to support something that has already fallen ? Prophet .. lets be real .. best they put measures in place to stop the sikatoka first and say the are considering doing it ..
Well said!