Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that his government has invested heavily in the Dominica Export Import Agency (DEXIA) with a cash injection of $5 million to assist farmers.
He made the announcement during Market Day with a Difference held on the weekend.
Market Day with a Difference organized by DEXIA annually is observed primarily to highlight the hard work of farmers and vendors and their contribution towards the national development effort.
“We are also investing heavily in DEXIA with a cash injection of $5 million so the company can in turn purchase and make good on payments to local farmers for dasheen, tania, yams, plantains, and other produce,” he said.
Skerrit indicated that an additional $3.7 million is now available to strengthen at least five new farmer-producer organizations to improve output so that the market is consistently served with fresh produce.
“We have also set aside funds to the tune of one million dollars to provide qualifying farmers with greenhouses, cheran netting, derogation systems, and other equipment to ensure fruit and vegetable production year-round,” he stated.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister stated that his government is continuing its propagation systems to provide farmers with seedlings at subsidized costs and have established a fund of one million dollars to support large banana farmers.
“These measures are important to motivate farmers like yourselves to keep food production consistent and in the longer term reduce our food import bill,” he noted.
He encouraged farmers to inquire about these measures that are in place, “to assist you to increase your production capacity.”
Skerrit mentioned that in the process of increasing food production through the local market, “We will increase trade by selling produce to as many countries as we can.”
Skerrit continued, “I know many of you have expressed concern about accessing new markets for your produce and I assure you this is at the top of my government’s priority list.”
He added, “As announced in the 2022 budget, we are entering partnerships with the governments of several of our neighbours to establish trade depots for the storage and sale of Dominican produce.”
Meantime, Senior Minister Reginald Austrie who presented Parliamentary Representative of Roseau Central Melissa Poponne-Skerrit, said that residents of that constituency are about to experience a revolutionary change in the environment of Roseau.
“You will see over the next coming months a transformation of the streets, the sidewalks, the underground cabling of the utility lines, and the utility poles will disappear,” he noted.
Austrie continued, “We have identified a number of major roads that have to be repaired.”
He also acknowledged that many people have concerns about the sidewalks.
“But give us a couple [of] months, a couple [of] years and that will be history,” Austrie remarked.
He pointed out also that there are major plans for the transformation of the Botanic Gardens.
“It’s a beautiful garden of flowers, but we believe as a government, as a people there is much more we can do to enhance the ambiance at the gardens and to make the gardens more appealing and more beneficial to the Dominican people,” Austrie stated.
“A promise is a comfort to a FOOL, garcon fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me; i know it’s independence season, but nuff of that “tim tim bwa sheche” stupidity ” se sort k fai nou led” behave all you self Skerritt
and Austrie 
I must admit that the vegetables besides the woman are very clean, and looked good, however; at the end of the day how much of it all will be sold?
The Roosevelt Skerrit talked about how he spent five million dollars to help farmers which to is peanut change to the billions he gave free to foreigners said to build hotel on the island, which all seems to be failing ventures.
And so I asked what happened to the Moroccan hotel that I was supposed to be built with Moroccan cash?
Sad that at the end of the day this lady may simply have to dispose of all her produce simply because there are no market to accommodate her.
I suggest Roosevelt should indeed just pay the people for what they can’t sell, as it’s the appropriate thing to do.
Plant and reaping is one thing, marketing is another. Roosevelt should buy it all and ship to the staving people of Haiti.
It appears that all will go to waste in Dominica!
Roosevelt gives billions to the rich, hence help the hungry in Haiti.
You revised your plan for the new Roseau. Cables will be placed beneath the road surface and sidewalks will be addressed. If you complete these two tasks, I will give Jack his Jacket. Until such time, it’s a wait and see attitude like the boats for farmers produce and the airport saga.
Promise made, promise delivered. This is how one builds trust between himself and others.
A good leader motivates the citizens to go beyond the call of duty to uplift their country. TRUST is the highest form of human motivation. Because of his many bogus promises and big lies, Roosevelt has destroyed the foundation of trust.
These intangibles/qualities inspire confidence in a leader: competence, quality, fairness, caring, honesty, integrity, et cetera. Does Roosevelt possesses any? No!
Austrie, said give them a couple of months or years to complete the projects….. Make Dominica Great Again…
These guys are really taking advantages of Dominicans…
Waiting for an idiotic comment from the blue backstabbers losers and traitors.
But that professional liar and deceiver called Roosevelt Skerrit, jumps on anything that makes him land his lies and corruption look good but why is he, Blackmore who is national security minister or Dr DockIntyre/ DuckIntyre not saying a thing about the deadly shooting of a patient at our main hospital? Are they ashamed? Do they know too much about it? Are they friends of the shooter? Was the shooter a member of the secret Navy Seals Melissa Skerrit told us that she and her family owned? Do you guys remember when a man was arrested in Barbados on his way to Dominica with a loaded gun and Charles Savarin then National security minister told us that he was coming to visit his son? Today he is president of the gangster movement of Skerrit and our children will be saluting him and other members of the gangsters as we celebrate our National day. I did not say independent day because the gangster movement have taken that from us. Well Daniel Carbon referred to the movement as Bandits
So Skerritt where are the boats you promised to transport the agricultural products to neighboring countries? How many years have passed and not one boat has been bought. How serious are you to the farmers whilst you make empty promises to returning and visiting Dominicans. The farmers haven’t forgotten that when the new banana variety which your government introduced to them was ready for sale your people told the farmers it was their responsibility to get sales for their banana product.
Then I thought that Melissa was the representative for Roseau. Therefore why isn’t she the one to report the pie in the sky news about transforming her constituency. The fact remains that she has already made the same empty promise in the past and nothing happened. Fool me once shame on you but you won’t fool me twice because it will be shame on me. Hosey koseou sakwe manteh. These konhtte from the cabal are stale please try saying something else.
What a beautiful lady with a spectacular smile. Nice green and fresh produce. Your smile alone would have made bought everything. Good luck and enjoy the independence celebrations.
The Roseau Rehabilitation project was promised in 2010. Complete your old promises before you new ones.
These con artists continue to fool the naive and the credulous with ghost stories. Phantom promises of geothermal energy, ROSS U, electoral amendments, spanking new cruise ship facilities, et cetera, are just a litany of lies by Roosevelt solely intended to mislead.
Every time I listen to Roosevelt tall tales I am reminded of the saying- “Liars make the best promises.”
quack quack skerritt!!!
how many years ago you told us Roseau will be the envy of the Caribbean!!!
and what about de 2 cargo boats to transport our agricultural produce?
you deliberately served over a failed agricultural policy! …you doh see dat?
Dominica needs some sort of independent body where they can certify that what they say is organic and free of chemicals is actually organic. I notice some of those crops looking huge!
HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA.
Recent transformation of the Botanic Gardens has converted it into a relief road.