Agriculture Minister to embark on ‘Meet the Farmers Tour’

Agriculture Minister Reginald Austrie. File photo

The New Minister for Agriculture Reginald Austrie has announced his ministry’s plans to embark on a “Meet the Farmers Tour”

Austrie made this announcement during the Dominica Agricultural Industrial and Development (AID) Bank Annual General Meeting at the Goodwill Parish Hall Wednesday morning.

“Very shortly we will be embarking on a Meet the Farmers Tour and that tour will primarily constitute of taking your telephone numbers and giving you my telephone number,” he said.

He stated that this new initiative by the ministry will help in creating direct contact with the minister, so the needs of the farmers will be delivered on time.

“During the next few hours I will be meeting with the various sectors and hoping that as early as Tuesday of next week I can bring a recommendation to Cabinet and if Cabinet approves within the next week you will hear about the changes we intend to make a greater and more efficiency at the ministry and at the farm level,” said Austrie.

In addition, Austrie, who was named Deputy Prime Minister recently, said that structural and administrative changes are required within the Ministry of Agriculture.

“I want to say to you as the new Minister for Agriculture, having spent a few days in the ministry and still trying to find my way around it, one thing is clear if we are to succeed in agriculture there have to be some administrative and structural changes to the ministry,” he stated.

Austrie noted that farmers are of great importance in society and should not be at the lowest in the chain of agriculture in the country.

“Farmers will have to be at the forefront of championing our food security situation,” he said

Meantime, Austrie said that the government is concerned over the pace of disbursement of funds to key sectors by the AID Bank.

“We are therefore concerned that we have not been able to make more progress in ensuring that the funds made available by the government for on-lending to key sectors are not moving as quickly as we anticipated,” he noted.

He said that these loan facilities were structure based on the needs articulated by those relevant sectors.

“In this period of rebuilding our country, the bank, therefore, has to be strategic and practical accommodating yet, careful,” said Austrie.

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23 Comments

  1. Lady
    April 22, 2018

    Meet the (labourite) farmers.
    its true, some might feel offended after reading this comment, but everybody know that is the truth.

  2. April 20, 2018

    Austrie u and de Labour Party must goooooooo
    Dominican is crying ? ? Labour must goooooooo
    Labour must goooooooo
    Labour must goooooooo

  3. Jah Kal
    April 19, 2018

    Austrie standing behind the podium and woundering whats is going on he’s lost bro u criticise very body that don’t talk the same language with your gang now skerrit give u a ministrie to silent you we will here more later Judas in there now tell us about the bakery.Cama is a B.

  4. lol
    April 19, 2018

    More like: ‘Buy The Farmers Tour.’…or or….’Give Me Your Vote For Freeness Tour’….orrrr ‘Lies and Deceit Tour’

  5. Massacre
    April 19, 2018

    I hope you don’t pick and choose which farmers you are going to meet with. I all know how that went with the distribution of the World bank aid last month.
    After 18 years I for one do not expect any change of heart form you incompetent bunch.

  6. viewsexpressed
    April 19, 2018

    Meet the farmers tour my Foot. All you in there with a political clown advising you all make us in Dominica and the world laugh. You all are so immature, illiterate in development but good at opening all your dirty political mouth and talk absolute rubbish, the same dirty rubbish you all stain our Dominica with.
    Skerrit and his useless, impotent corrupt Labour government must Go – and go they must. Waste of them, irrelevant, immature, ill advised and irrespective, al you politically dunce.
    Go to Hell…Go to Hell…take all your Damn corrupt Business and Go to Hell…..where you all belong

  7. Looking
    April 19, 2018

    Hon Mathew Walter did this when he became agriculture minister. He painted such a pretty picture of agriculture. According to his words, ” Agriculture is in good hands” I was present. Ever since agriculture has taken a downward spiral.

  8. Roseau
    April 19, 2018

    1. that’s a poor reflection on mr drigo
    2, when you call politicians and they note your number you cannot get them to answer your call a second time

  9. Labourite no more... abandoning ship
    April 19, 2018

    Skerrit and his Kabal seeks to confuse, distract and brazenly misrepresent facts to the D/ca public, in an effort to remain in power with TOTAL disregard to D/ca’s well-being. No post Hurricane Maria (or even before) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, which sets out how D/ca will establish new trade, investment and economic links, and end national poverty, hopelessness and decadent in our society.

  10. Ibo France
    April 18, 2018

    Agriculture should be one of the top priorities of the government. Dominica should be self-sufficient in many of the agricultural produce and products that are consumed by locals. There should be greater emphasis on agro-processing also. The Minister does not need to give every farmer his phone number as he can be easily overwhelmed with calls sometimes over very trivial matters. The Minister needs to provide the leadership by setting policy, giving support, fostering synergies and linkages. For the good of the citizens and residents, let’s hope that agriculture becomes the top industry. Dominica is blessed with plenty sunshine, an abundance of water and hectares and hectares of arable land. The soil is so fertile that if you spit through your window a tree grows. There is no reason for agriculture not to be booming. The only possible reason is ineptness.

    • Shaka Zulu
      April 18, 2018

      This comment is to sensible for these folks to understand. 10,000 farmers should call him for every lil thing let me see what he will do. His plan for visit is to exchange numbers. Smfh.

  11. karessa
    April 18, 2018

    he still in charge of petro carib?

  12. anonymous2
    April 18, 2018

    The Ag dept. certainly has a lot of turnover. That’s all I can say. I hope Reggie is for real.

  13. It's me
    April 18, 2018

    Not only your number Mr Minister because they will end up not being able to talk to you when they begin calling with their issues. I hope the measures are in place for the appropriate people to help with the appropriate issue or concern THIS IS THE LIST OF NUMBERS they need not yours. They knowing who to call and their problems get addressed/solved this is what is important not your number.

  14. Shaka Zulu
    April 18, 2018

    I would like to ask Austrie if he is going to visit the farmers on the list provided by the extension officers or all the ones that got money to get thier farms back on track? I know man that never plant a seed that get 10 gran. He should start bu going and see how thier farms are progressing after the large investment by the government.

  15. Josh Shaw
    April 18, 2018

    I wonder does Petro Carib still fall in asstrie portfolio?

  16. I is a cheater
    April 18, 2018

    “Austrie noted that farmers are of great importance in society and should not be at the lowest in the chain of agriculture in the country.” WOW!!! Reggie is this a direct swipe at your boss Skerrit, who definitely brought farmers at the lowest chain? Why is only now Skerrit making you the minister for agriculture? I mean doesn’t he know at times the minister might have to go on the farm? I mean when you had good legs the man had you under AC, and now you haven’t got good legs he sending you to cross river and walk in labu? Boy that Skerrit not easy you know. Did you take petro Caribe ministry and check book with you or it’s been passed on to the minister of finance?

  17. WeNiceMan
    April 18, 2018

    “Austrie noted that farmers are of great importance in society and should not be at the lowest in the chain of agriculture in the country.”

    It only took this government 18 years to figure this out.

  18. April 18, 2018

    To do what??? after 18 years of neglect, after 18 years of saying, agriculture is a has been industry, after 18 years of saying agriculture is on the backburner, after gassing the people of Salisbury who stood up for their road to their farms
    Skerrit and his gang are as useless as tits on a bore :-D

    • LifeandDeath
      April 19, 2018

      :lol: :lol: :lol:
      Good one..Useless as tits on a bore….hahahahaha

  19. LifeandDeath
    April 18, 2018

    Gasson I want to give the New Minister the Benefit of the Doubt and wish him Good Luck for the sake of Dominica, but hear this..
    “He stated that this new initiative by the ministry will help in creating direct contact with the minister, so the needs of the farmers will be delivered on time.”
    That new style of minimizing the ministerial institutional function and replacing it with the Minister favors ideology is probably meant in good faith but undermines the functions of the Ministry..Ministers will come and Go..strengthen the institutions to continue supporting all sectors….Good Luck…Dominica Needs it!!

  20. Jah Kal
    April 18, 2018

    Austrie i hope you meet the farmers of Salisbury the ones you and your party fought against for standing for there roads to there farms skerrit said he would come to talk to them it took him years election is around the corner we waiting and the tear gas and the live bullets can never be forgotten. SALISBURY CANNOT BE TOUCH.

  21. Real
    April 18, 2018

    Action speaks louder than words. When we start to see proper initiatives like farm insurance and government aided farm management strategies then I can say I’ll start to believe you guys. Till then I’ll continue to believe that this is election year promises.

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