Agriculture Minister, Johnson Drigo has reported damages amounting to over $200 million to Dominica’s agricultural sector after the passage of Tropical Storm Erika.
According to him many of the island’s farms are close to the water ways and they have taken a pounding from the storm.
“The damage done by Tropical Storm Erika to the farming sector is well over $200-million to the agricultural sector and it’s across the board,” he said.
Drigo explained that one poultry farmer in the Roseau Valley, “a major egg producer,” has lost his entire holding.
“We have the effects to the bay leaf industry especially in the Petite Savanne area,” he stated.
Additionally landslides have affected farms across the island, he noted.
“So farmers have really take a pounding from Erika and the Ministry of Agriculture is pledging its support to these farmers in getting back on their feet, so that we can push the vital agriculture sector forward,” Drigo stated.
Meanwhile, he pointed out that the government of Dominica is already receiving support from various agricultural institutions since the storm.
“I am very thankful to friendly governments and organizations who have come forward to assist us in the agricultural sector,” he noted. “I must say that the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) have committed US $300,000 to the agricultural sector. These funds will be managed by IICA (Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture) and the funds will go towards assisting in clearing of feeder roads, opening of the drains and giving support to the industry, the purchase of fertilizer and the purchase of vegetable seeds, and other support to our farmers to bring back their livelihood.”
Furthermore he revealed that the Ministry of Agriculture has started to support farmers with root crops.
“We are providing fertilizer… presently distribution has started to support 500 acres of root crops in terms of sweet potatoes, dasheen, yams…,” Drigo noted. “We are also preparing to receive from the BAM (Banana Accompanying Measures) some 20,000 bags of fertilizer to support not only the banana and plantain sub-sector but to support agriculture in general.”
What about the many pigs and cattles lost on the Castle Bruce estate. The poor people from your constituency. Do you forget them. They are the ones who voted you .
Majority of Dominicans on a whole are to defendant almost totally on the Government. ( its like plant the corn and I will eat it.)
This is just laziness. They want to live large and comfortable but it has to come to them
Where are the majority of families who were involved in agriculture? They planted, make brooms, coal etc. and still go to the market to sell.
now some of these pple died and some are older and the don’t have the support of the younger ones to continue the task.( no one to replace them) the younger ones either finds themselves in drug or seating lazily by the roadside apart from the other who are trying to bring in an income by other means. how are we as a whole expect revenue to flow into the country and we ourselves are not embracing our own country and pushing work. huh.
The Government can’t push all the work for things to work in Dominica.
it’s not RED nor BLUE but ourselves.
We need more means and ways to bring in revenue to the…
You and your government cannot do anything on your own, the whole episode, all of your comments are related to getting something for free from some outside organization.
Last week some Labor Party, stooge wrote on DNO, talking nonsense about how Dominicans are helping themselves, and not asking for help as people did in Louisiana, standing on roofs asking for help. Sentiments like that is enough to cause nations and organizations not to give you all not even a teaspoon of soft drink to save your life.
For almost a month now floods has been raving different areas of the United States, in certain places in Los Angeles it is flooding right now. The United Stats has not send out an SOS for help fro Dominica, or any nation on earth, America takes care of it peoples and business. What happened in Dominica last month is a picnic to what took place in South Carolina over the past days. What happen to your banana plants from France, why the silence about them?
I’m very interested in seeing a breakdown of this 200 million dollar loss to Agriculture post Erika because as far as we know Agriculture was already suffering a great deal in Dominica.
Ok Mr. John Dont Know, the DLP Bird Farm was destroyed and I empathise with the minister but he has a BIG BIG Salary and can survive. Can we please focus on the others who lost it all? Please do not give the fertilizer to the Massacre boys again because they don’t farm and as a matter of fact they still have fertilizer under their houses selling from election time. Good time to go and get it back and redistribute to farmers. I am watching you closely sir
Assertive, NEVER Aggressive!
Stupes!!!!!!!!!
I was actually looking to be inspired by bright new vision for agriculture.
Bird farm in fond canie is your minister colleague farm.
You never mentioned other significant losses in agriculture crop.
You sitting on your hands
You are definitely not de best man for de job.
You have failed us miserably!
While agriculture suffered so much loss, many farmers still cannot access their farms, and even though farmers and their families have lost so much and their standards of living become poorer, Skerritt increases the the pay of Alix Boyd- knights, Speaker of the House, by a whooping 111%.
Already with a bloated Cabinet of 18 Ministers, advisers a- plenty, contracts and consultancies for Skerritt’s DLP candidates, who lost the 2015 bribery election , even though Erika pass and damaged the country, the Cabal behaves in the same way, same attitude of fixing up those who defend, protect the Supremo.
Wickedeness !! Nothing less.
They all have a price on their heads. This time the Speaker has demanded and received her share.. To hell with those who will face the hard times. No mercy on the poor, no concessions to private sector. But more pay, 111% increase for that Speaker, for doing what?
What increase for the teachers, nurses, police and so,1%? Farmers crying.
Who gets an increase of 111% why is it passed unless everyone else got the same .
and take the fertilizer and give it to the lazy laborites who don’t do agriculture and play politics
Blame it on Erika
and when the fertilizer comes take it and give it to dem lazy laborites who are not actually doing agriculture.