Ministry of Agriculture prepares for mass banana exports

Banana production forecast is said to be encouraging
Banana production forecast is said to be encouraging

Dominica’s banana sector is getting back on its feet says the Hon Minister for Agriculture, Johnson Drigo.

In an interview on Tuesday, April 5th, Hon Drigo stated that Government’s rapid response at a time of impeding factors, especially Black Sigatoka, has paid off.

He listed Government’s Black Sigatoka Management Programme which tackled the disease from several angles.

“We are very satisfied with the farmers’ response to these efforts and we are seeing improvements across the board.”

He revealed that the production forecast for November 2015 – June 2016 is encouraging.

“We anticipate 962 tonnes of bananas and this is very encouraging for the banana sector,” he stated.

The Agriculture Minister says that with Government’s assistance, harvesting will soon begin.

“We had virtually stopped exporting bananas after Black Sigatoka took its toll on the industry. With the Banana Accompanying Measures Programme and Government bringing in well over 5,000 fresh plantlets, the banana sector is on the rise and we are ready to export bananas. We are excited about that,” he remarked.

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24 Comments

  1. Tjebe Fort
    April 10, 2016

    Ryan, where are the bananas you said we would ship to Antigua a year ago? Boasting, kaka chess. Better you say nothing. Antigua not waiting for us and buying Chiquita now. You are as useless as Johnson.

  2. April 9, 2016

    Drigo find some thing else to say eau sot

  3. Citizen
    April 9, 2016

    Well done Mr. Drigo and all those who made this possible. Several of our revenue generating sectors have been affected or halted after Erika. We need some a sector to be earning foreign exchange back into the country. God bless you and God bless all the technical staff and farmer for making this possible

    • Shameless
      April 11, 2016

      Erika, Erika wahyahyaiye? Well Erika back broad papa! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

      Always Assertive! :twisted:

  4. Shameless
    April 9, 2016

    John – Dont -Know, garson you doe tired make Castle Bruce people look stupid :twisted: ? They should all rally in Googlu or Seekwee and demand you resignation for lack of representation :twisted: .

    STOP your nonsense and get to work representing your constituency. Daddy Bame still waiting for you to spread the load of tarish. I am not a DLP supporter but Loreen Bannis Roberts sure served the people of the Castle Bruce Constituency and Dominica by extension 1000% better than you. Just another square peg in a round hole for sure! :twisted:

    Please tell us when the “tender, and soft” beaten up chicken from the national abattoir will be available in sufficient quantities.

    Always Assertive! :twisted:

  5. eat em
    April 8, 2016

    Whose gonna buy it this time around? The international markets have long been flooded with fig.

  6. April 8, 2016

    Banana has really become green gold in Dominica

  7. Zionman
    April 8, 2016

    Drigo just be courageous cause patrick john was way above u and before u he took us close to the bottomless pit and the same set of people that’s talking now they were there and did not do a dam about it so do your thing make your money and when your time comes u will know u did your best and when it’s all said and done u will be in our history like all the others god bless .

  8. Dominican
    April 8, 2016

    Good luck mr. Drigo. I hope for everyone you will achieve that export performance but don’t forget that is still far short of St. Lucia, which reported at the beginning of 2014 that they had already shipped approx. 5,000 tonnes that year to the U.K. alone. A lot of catching up to do.

  9. Titiwi
    April 8, 2016

    Will this be fruit produced by the plantlets procured from France a year ago? (GIS report on DNO of 7 April, 2015), of which Ryan Anselm said that they were verified disease- & pathogen free?
    I also hope that mr. Drigo heeds the advice of his P.S. Harold Guiste, only this week about the importance of quality assurance, packaging and branding. Frankly, I have more confidence in the latter his boss the Hon. Minister.

  10. beautiful Lady
    April 8, 2016

    Bring back agricultural, that’s our livelihood

  11. DomiChina
    April 8, 2016

    good for Dominica

  12. UDOHREADYET
    April 8, 2016

    Yes Yes Yes. Economy on the rise.

    • Floridian Diaspora
      April 8, 2016

      Your Damm goat! Do you know the difference between rising and declining????

      • jahgirl
        April 8, 2016

        @Floridian Diaspora….. why all the bitterness? Life is too short , take a dose of chill pill man. Relax

      • April 9, 2016

        Please be nice, educate not scold ?

      • Shameless
        April 9, 2016

        :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: @Florida Diaspora! Man your response have me crying in laughter :twisted: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: . I totally agree with you :mrgreen:

        Always Assertive! :mrgreen:

      • Jejep
        April 9, 2016

        Your damn Mule. What about his or her comment is deserving of the belittling?

  13. jonathan st jean
    April 8, 2016

    The minister for agriculture makes it sound as if black sigatoka came to Dominica only last year and only Dominica was affected. In year 2014 St Lucia exported a record tonnage of bananas despite having had the same disease. So what does this tell us. It’s that the Labour party neglected bananas and agriculture at the expense of hotel building, which has yet to materialize.So much for the next level. I’m glad that the farmers still have faith in the industry and will be the ones to get it back up.

  14. AAGabriel
    April 8, 2016

    I’ve never had such a laugh in a long time. This government really believes ALL Dominicans are fools.

  15. %
    April 8, 2016

    Drgo stop showing your ignorance in public.That’s why you are a classic case of a square peg in wrong place..It’s a shame that your corrupt regime still does not have a way of properly managing Black Sigatoka…In St Lucia where we have a real government,Black Sigatoka was effectively dealt with,and they have been exporting even more than before…Stop playing cheap politics with a banana disease.It’s just clowns in this ministry of Agriculture.One such clown always dresses in Red like Chavez when he is in Roseau..Lazy and incompetent.Political apathy is killing Dominica.Does Dominica still have access to the British market?

  16. sixties
    April 8, 2016

    The photo reminds me of Alwyn’s “Green Gold”. :wink:

  17. Tjebe Fort
    April 8, 2016

    Johnson you are not easy boy, just telling P.M. what he wants to hear but you will soon be found out and promoted down the ladder, don’t worry. You want to export bananas? Good, so does everybody but in the mean time I have trouble finding decent bananas to eat right here in Dominica. Guadeloupe exporting, Martinique exporting, St. Lucia exporting. Is our sikatoka blacker than theirs?

    • countrygirl
      April 8, 2016

      Thank you Tjebe Fort, you gave me my laugh for the day “is our sikatoka blacker than theirs?”

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