Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that the government will be placing its highest priority on the agricultural sector.
He stated that there have been critics in some quarters who believe that the government should not put money on things such as the importation of banana plantlets and the like.
“I am saying to you that the government attaches priority number one to agriculture and we will never be unwavering,” he said at the Atlantique View Resort and Spa in Anse De Mai on Tuesday during a forum called, “Dialogue on Agriculture: A Post Erika Strategy.”.
He said the country should never be in the position to import bananas for local consumption.
“I do not ever want to see this country, whether I am in Government or out of Government, having to import bananas for us to eat. We must continue to produce bananas and plantains in Dominica to feed ourselves and to feed our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean and that’s our commitment,” he stated.
However the Prime Minister sees a rocky road ahead for the sector.
“It is not easy. There is difficulties with farms, diseases and pests and we have to continue working together,” he noted.
He also called on the farmers to partner with the Ministry of Agriculture to manage the Black Sigatoka disease, which has wrecked havoc on the banana and plantain sectos.
“You cannot want Black Sigatoka to go away if you refusing to allow the people who come on your farms to assist you in managing it,” he pointed out. “So there has to be an understanding, I understand, farmers, that you have several decades of experience of growing food but we also have to understand the new technologies that have been developed. We have to see how we can marry them, how we can cause them to work if we are to increase production and increase production for the market.”
Meanwhile the Prime Minister is talking tough to the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture for what he calls the need for “more nimble in its dispensation of its duties.”
He made strong calls for a data base for agriculture in which the amount of acres that the country has of crops planted, the names of the these crops, the names of famers, their locations, as well as knowing the country’s capacity to supplying external markets, are recorded.
“So we have that information readily available and I find too often we do not have that information readily available,” he said. “How are we going to know our capacity to supply the external markets if we do not have a database?”
He also called on the Permanent Secretary and the Director of Agriculture to put on the table “all of these programs that we have invested in, what is the status of those investments, what is the status of those programs and to see which ones we can revive and resuscitate to make a contribution.”
Skerrit noted that the government, along with partners, has invested in a number of programs and “they just disappear.”
Labourites everywhere commend our dear Supreme Leader on bypassing the critics and continuing to lead the rebuilding of Dominica through wise and intelligent initiatives and decisions. Agriculture has ALWAYS been a priority area for this administration. The DLP led Government has invested significant funds in the revitalization of agriculture; further expanding this sector by the establishment of an abattoir in order to reduce the importation of meat products. Our most precious Supreme Leader, ordained Knight of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, the right and honourable Dr. Roosevelt M. Skerrit is sincere in his dedication to bring agriculture back to the forefront of the Dominican economy. The critics and naysayers would like the outside world to believe that this is a sudden change of policy. Another outright lie. This DLP Administration, under the leadership of the greatest Prime Minister EVER, has been struggling to revive an agricultural sector destroyed by UWP mismanagement.
The Real Truth is that PM is becoming less and less convincing..it’s as if he’s acting in theatre but his spirit doesn’t transcend into the part..it’s like that wolf wolf story we were told in primary school.
What will it take to be convincing again PM, oh, I know..less talk and more action please!!
Ealier this year the guy announced in china that he was moving away from agriculture and getting into the services industry. This is the worst head of state in the history of mankind
Who is mr Linton leading does he employ any body. He is one of the dominicans who drank the poison cool aid who thinks he is efficient and knows how to lead. I want you to show me if you can run a company.
I doh know if you are wise enough to realize that Linton IS NOT the Prime Minister and before becoming Prime minister Skerrit could not employ anyone either. So what is your point? Stop being ignorant!
Mr. P M talk is cheap for 15 yrs. agriculture has been down graded under your watch ., you have persecuted the farmers of Salisbury for standing up for their rights and if Mr. Mathew Walters was bad, then Hon. Johnson Drigo is worse . Tropical Storm Erika has expose your Govt. for the fraud that it is in this regard.
Admin; what about the question I ask?
Who is Tatiana Abello Protocol Prime Minister of Dominica. I am not making that up, I have the Participant List, with the names of dignitaries who attended the function which we saw Skerrit cutting the cake. Skerrit is listed at number #21, whereas his bodyguard Michael Richard Sebastian is listed at #22. Their names are found on page #2 of the participant list.
On page #5 of the list at #78 we found ” Protocol Prime Minister of Dominica Ms. Tatiana Abello.
It is interesting to note on page number 6, of the listed at #103 it states ” Permanent Representative Vince Henderson Permanent Mission to the United Nation.” I do not see anything here that would make DNO liable to a law suite. If anything I live in the United States, Vince is stationed here, if I lie they can take me to court! The simple question is who is Tatiana Abello?
And by the way I have submitted this in a forum where both Skerrit, Tony and Dos, and et, al. are…
Sad state of affiars when it has to come to such devasted situation for a P.M to realize his couuntry\’s true potential.
Dominicans, where do we go from here??
Erika is like va bod la mere blowing on the chicken and exposing the chicken posterior -feathers falling off in the process too.
Well Skerrit even your yard fowls know that we had to import banana and planting material because you and your mooo mooo ministers did not come through for the farmers during and before
black sigatoka. On Skerrit’s trip to Macou in early 2015 he told the people that “He ” meaning-the government os moving away from agriculture into a service bade economy – passport selling. Now he is fooling his fools and blaming the farmers for not being receptive to the inspectors -lie lie liar.
As far as I know those who are not hypnotize d by Skerrit lies ask why dod the government allow bananas to deteriorate to the point where we have to import plants. St Lucia experienced Black Sigstoka,Martinique did and did not gave to import plants from France
The other question asked was related to the imported cultivar and its weak resistance to Black Sigatoka
Just another case that shows that Team Dominica (UWP) leads and others (DLP) follows. If only Skerro would sit and listen to the esteemed Team Dominica, Dominica will be a much better place. Lesson # 1. Mr. Louis, Randy and others have finally driven that in Skerro\’ head so let\’s see if he do what he is now promising.
Assertive, NOT Aggressive!
This fellow in the bay area called people following skerritt idiots. I have good and bad news for him 50 percent follows U.W.P. and 50 percent follows Labour. I am going to ask my smart friend how many people he employes in the bay area, or do he knows of any Dominicans who lives in Canada or America inthe last 50 yrs who owned a company that hires about one hundred people and made millions. We all migrated to be civil servants to serve rich people so we are all idots all we do is wark for a pension and beg and sing for our supper. The most dangerous poison for caribean people they think they are smart and efficient quoting shakespear and knowing latin the brothers at the catholic schools fooled us. Most of us know nothing we will never control anything, we are the most confused people on the planet. We dont know if we are white or black.
Jack you say it blunt but it’s hard for non thinkers to understand the damning effect of slavery..after physical slavery came the mental slavery that Bob marley sang about..garvey and M.L King warned black ppl against these trend of subjective thoughts also..unless we are able to free our minds we’ll never excel..we’ll continue to fight like crabs in a barrel, exploiting each other only to not reach the top..not every black person can see through the smoke and mirrors ma boy..
Well DA finish…..you run out of ideas because the cash cow under FBI fire? no more money??? well my Marigot friend sang it in calypso long time ago ” we going back, back to the soil”!!!
Why cant the farmer manage his farm to make a profit and buy his own fertilizer ? Why does the Government have to provide every thing to every body, do they have to provide the Brains to think. After 60 yrs since the British left what have we done g or our selves, we are still professional beggers, we have more thieves, drunkards, drug addicts, muderers, , only 30 percent of kids understands math and sciense.
Thanks to Mr Linton,that’s what he have been saying all along great job Linton
You have awaken from your slumber man and ready to face reality. The passport sales are in the toilet now you are considering agriculture to be king? you have finally realized that you cannot run a country without production and being able to feed yourself. I don’t understand how such incompetence can be ruling a nation like these guys. you all are butchering the country slowly but surely. carry on
It took you long enough to absorb the lesson, but better late than never I always say.
Agriculture is Dominica’s way forward, not Tourism.
I smell the IMF in this speech! Maybe I’m losing my mind…………
“So we have that information readily available, and I find that too often we do not have that information readily available.” Which is it Sir? You sound confused and confusing. Censuses are done to create the data base you referred to and they are usually undertaken every 10 years.Are you going to continue giving lip service to agriculture or is your government ready to give the sector the attention it deserves. You spoke only of bananas, but what other crops do you have in mind,what about the livestock sector. You should be presenting a comprehensive plan for resuscitating agriculture in the country,but instead you are blaming your workers. Where is the minister for Agriculture and why isn’t he being visionary with a way forward. It’s all more talk and haphazard crisis management. I don’t expect anything positive coming out of this.
“Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that the government will be placing its highest priority on the agricultural sector.”(Roosevelt Skerrit).
Such are the thoughts of mad man: that is an indication that you have become politically bankrupt, and lack the potential to develop the country in an industrial way which is the only resolve to poverty in the country. You are singing the song Agriculture because you believe that is what the idiots who follow you want to here. You are a failure.
First of all check your spelling and for your info in case u do not remember agriculture took a very heavy blow during Erika so stop this hateful behavior , your comments are becoming tedious and out of place.
which agriculture that took a heavy blow under Ericka? Do you hear of any pay for farmers who lost their crops? No! because there was no crops to begin with. DLP kill agriculture so that hand out to people like you (for doing nothing) would be come a common thing and you ate very happy with that
A few years ago, in the House of Assembly, a late MP for Portsmouth accused the Dame PM of not being serious about Agriculture because he opined that she had appointed the weakest member of her cabinet as Agriculture Minister. Bearing that the greatest strength of a chain iis limited to to the strength of its weakest link, some restructuring in the Chain of State may be necessary if Agriculture is to achieve this feat. We have arrived at the very unsustainable position of having built an abattoir without having animals to slaughter, and no incentives to our young men and women to show that farming can be a viable business.
Erasmus B does every constituiency has it\’s own P.M?
each constituency
Does that mean that Projects Implementation has been relegated to another position seeing that earlier this year the Dear Leader informed the people to the effect that the greatest priority of his administration was projects implementation? Thanks.
You taking advice of Linton and UWP and other NGO’s now?
Let Drigo speak and show how much salt he is worth.
As for you PM you late. Better late than never.
I see your record with salisbury farmers. To date you and Drigo have done ‘absolutely nothing’ to releive them.
I not depending on your empty talk…..you been talking for a while.
Now that de nation see you late, trailing behind UWP let me see how long it will take for you to catch up side by side….and better yet…….TAKE DE LEAD!!!!!
Finally you get the farmers message,we should be an agriculture island and feeding many caribbean island including St martin and Antigue since the depend on us.And all farmers should receive fertilizer and not be judged by politics.
We also need to focus on crop theft, which is at epidemic levels in the North East. A farmer should not have to experience his hard work ripped off at night.
Flogg em in public.
big boys that does tief the farmers produce.