Agriculture Minister Roland Royer has announced that the government has invested about $4 million for the rehabilitation of the Coffee Plant in Portsmouth.
He made the announcement as a guest on Focus on Government and Development recently.
“We are still on track, Cabinet has approved a two-phase strategy for the coffee sector,” he said. “The first working with the Venezuelans, we [invested] about $4 million to rehabilitate the Coffee Plant in Portsmouth.”
He continued, “We know it was damaged by Hurricane Maria, and even prior to that we had some operational issues, and so, as we speak we have all the equipment required, already packaged and ready to be shipped, and will be on island before May of 2023.”
Royer added, “So far we have brought water, DOWASCO lines to the facility that were not there before, and of course, we work with DOMLEC as well to install and replace the transformer which will be commissioned when we are ready to operate the facility.”
Furthermore, he said the government has also conducted technical assessment for the uptake of $2 million BTU of natural gas which will be required to operate a plant.
“We have actually started to put things in place and works are being done,” he revealed.
Royer stated that once the government receives the equipment, the technical support will come from Venezuela and a consultant will be hired to install the equipment, “and then the consultant will also train young persons to operate the machinery to have the Coffee Plant running.”
Meantime, Royer said to begin operation at the plant, the government will import green coffee beans from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Venezuela to process and that will be sold back to their countries while Dominica expands production.
“So once there is sufficient coffee on island we will start doing our own coffee brand and market Dominica’s coffee,” he explained.
Same shit different day. What we need is a change of all leaders in Dominica to get back on track after 23 failed years of misrepresentation.
…the chocolate factory in your underpants you referring to? You are a clown for true, with a red nose and a pair of long red ears.
Same old stale story…say something new…no vision…this government need new vision
Nowadays Mister is singing for his supper on a daily basis. Shameful!
before Maria they gave out plants. They died in the hurricane. No more plants for local farmers to benefit? Also who will be in charge of producing and marketing the coffee coming from the plant?
If Dominica had a load of coffee farmers with mature trees, all screaming for help with processing, then this would be a great way to spend money. What Dominica does have is a whole load of farmers screaming for refrigerated transportation to neighbouring island markets, ditto cottage industry agro-producers. It’s great that these ministers are so on point.
This appears to be a classic case of putting the cart before the horse.
Would it not be better to begin with equipment suitable for processing of the coffee beans we already grow? Importing beans and machinery for large scale production is a repeat of the wasted millions spent on the earlier coffee plant; for which Maria was not the principle cause of failure.
We do not have enough coffee now. We have to import while we grow. should we wait for three to five years to start?
But we do have enough coffee to create a niche market for our own product, as against processing coffee in bulk from elsewhere.
No coffee plants grown. Have no
Money. No local entrepreneurial spirit or investment. But poof….we are coffee producers and processors….Magical !!
There is no reason why Dominica cannot grow coffee for export. In the 1950’s and 1960’s a lot of Dominicans grew their own coffee. It can be grown by the local populace processed at the plant and exported helping farmers with a steady income. The price of coffee keeps going up.
Boy these ministers like Skerrit, seems to be talking in tongues to us so that we can’t interpret what they saying so let me take my time to see if I can understand Mr Royer.
1. So Venezuela built the coffee plant and even way before Maria they had operational issues. I wonder what were the issues
2. Hurricane Maria further damaged it so I guess it could not be opened. Really?
3. Meanwhile government has spent about $6 million dollars I.e $4 million to rehabilitate and $2 million BTU of natural gas . Hmm
4. and so, as we speak we have all the equipment required, already packaged and ready to be shipped, and will be on island before May of 2023.”
5.technical support will come from Venezuela and a consultant will be hired to install the equipment….
6.government will import green coffee beans from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Venezuela
7Seems like more of our monies will be shipped while our young men will remain on the block smoking and sewoing. Nothing in it for Dominica.
Ro if you pull that off the world is yours! NEXT PM of DA. Do your stuff Ministers
Airport set to commence; geothermal energy set to come on stream; new university set to receive students; tourism set to take off massively; cable car set to make a gigantic splash; coffee plant set to lace up its boots.
Project managers – to your mark, set….. the trigger of the starting pistol is stuck. If you believe Lying Roosevelt and his domesticated wolves, I have a piece of prime real estate in Morne Daniel to sell you for $1 per square foot.
Yes Ibo, Propaganda galore… The CM must be under massive pressure from somewhere. Remember, around 10 years ago we had a brand new, fully functional coffee factory. But alas, not a single bean was ever roasted. Now it in use as a 5 star cowshed. Another prime example of the incompetence and wastefulness of this CM.
Right on point! One thing this regime does perfectly well. It is masterful at propaganda. Everyday for the entire twenty years of Lying Roosevelt’s tenure in government he has made numerous promises. Unsurprisingly, they are all lies.
Here are some: government purchased boats for the export of agricultural produce, best cruise ship facilities in the OECS, the international airport and geothermal energy should have materialized since eons ago according to the pronouncements made by Roosevelt, etc.
This is for all Dominicans who still believe the utterances of Roosevelt and his
servile apostles.
Definition of STUPID: Knowing the TRUTH, Seeing the TRUTH, but still believing the LIES of Lying Roosevelt. I rest my case.
Ibo boy, your head will explode if you dow go see ah shrink wee! All these projects you mentioned really happening live and direct right in front your very eyes and your head just can’t take it. Boy, you really need to check your mental health. Skerrit driving you foo.
Eagle’s eyed have you taken a keen look at your idol, the greatest and most corrupt Liar presently in Caribbean politics. His plans are just delusion of grandeur.
Let me leave this with you: The truth will always be the truth even when you thoughtless zealots of Roosevelt like you don’t believe it.
Where is the lie?
“I have a piece of prime real estate in Morne Daniel to sell you for $1 per square foot.” The one with the green house near the foot of the hill?
What about the chocolate factory promised to Dominicans by Gabriel Christian?
How about the Ainchi hotel. After having been paid millions of CBI dollars, that particular passport agent and Skerrit friend leaves the people of Possie with another ugly ruin. How about that. Who is to be blamed? Skerrit or the member of the cabal?
Or the Moroccan.
Next you will refer to something Arthie Martin said when he was a government minister. I continue to laugh AT you.