Drigo defends importation of beans for coffee plant

Drigo said $1-million has been allocated to develop coffee in Dominica
Drigo said $1-million has been allocated to develop coffee in Dominica

Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Johnson Drigo is defending Government’s decision to import coffee beans from ALBA countries to kick-off operations at the coffee plant.

Since it can take up to five years for coffee crops to be ready for processing, Government has secured 2,000 tonnes of coffee to begin production while farmers are engaged in growing their stock.

At a town hall meeting last week, Hon. Drigo addressed speculation on Dominica’s ability to sustain coffee production.

He used as an example, Barbados’ importation of fruit resources into Barbados for its production and exportation of boxed juices.

“The chocolates which you eat- they say Switzerland has some of the best chocolate-it’s also one of the coldest areas on earth therefore you will not see cocoa trees growing there,” he said. “We have decided to import coffee as a start. Our objective is to ensure that we rehabilitate and increase our acreage of coffee. Some of the best coffee can be found in Dominica therefore, the plan is well-structured. We will import coffee until we are self-sustainable.

The Agriculture Minister says budget allocations to further develop the crop total over $1-million.

Recently, five nationals were trained in Venezuela and will soon take up fulltime employment at the plant.

In the national budget address last month, the nation’s Hon. Finance Minister, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit revealed that the Division of Agriculture has also identified 400 farmers currently growing coffee or who are interested in growing the crop.

The farmers are concentrated in over nine communities across the island.

In addition to the export value, 22 new jobs will be created directly with the operationalization of the coffee plant.

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29 Comments

  1. rasta
    August 24, 2015

    If importing coffee beans into Dominica can be described as positive things happening, then we do not have to look further as to why we are in this mess as a country

  2. Dan Tanner
    August 23, 2015

    The incompetent Minister for Agriculture did absolutely nothing to plan or prepare. No importation of coffee bushes. No education of farmers. No arrangements for finance or necessary infrastructure. This, however, went unnoticed by the stupid people of Dominica, who got what they deserve. Dominica has opted to be, in effect, a colony to be exploited for cheap labor. Its independence is a sham.

  3. The frying Pan!
    August 22, 2015

    so laughable ! Our importation bill is already so high and i guess this will just increase it. When we are unable to plan effectively this is what happens. it is like putting the cart before the horse. This government lacks planning capabilities. just can you construct a coffee plant when a local company Bello is right there? How can you construct a coffee plant when we do not grow coffee on a large scale?
    We should now try to reduce our import bill but I guess these guys have a different agenda- Increase this bill!
    What a shame! Dey Joking Karl!
    P.S- Was any feasibility study done or a market analysis?

  4. Francisco Telemaque
    August 22, 2015

    “Barbados’ importation of fruit resources into Barbados for its production and exportation of boxed juices.”

    Man stop talking nonsense and express yourself in a way, that make sense, “boxed juice.” What sort of plants, citrus or otherwise produces a box juice fruit. If you people were not so damn stupid, Dominica mango juice, Coconut Water, Guava, Orange and grapefruit juice could be selling internationally, Dominica rum would be out there also.

    All that you in government do is make comparison to all the other islands, and when you are through talking, you give yourself a pat on your back and say I said something important today. All of the juices I mentioned are sold in England Germany, and America where I lived. Count how many of the three nations I mentioned cultivate such agricultural products!

    Boy you need to just shut up!

  5. native
    August 22, 2015

    Switzerland do not have cocoa because they are unable to produce cocoa , but Dominica has very fertile land with elevation suited for the best quality coffee, so why not produce it, 2ndly when we start producing coffee with a lower quality than we are producing you starting off with a bad name and it is going to be real hard to regain the trust of the market, so what are you trying to justify Joker.

  6. August 22, 2015

    It bothers me when i hear these S-P-I-N-E-L-E-S-S bunch of so called Ministers who cannot give a truthful account of their stewardship. Bro you cannot defend the indefensible; i wonder if you guys ever read over statements which you make on any issue pertaining to the state and see how S-T-U-P-I-D the whole thing sounds. Can Dominica not find any thing or rather anyone better.

  7. recollect
    August 22, 2015

    Is this a competitor for BELLO,?,
    ,Seem from the outset BELLO should have been brought in as a JV Patner for this project …
    IS IT TOO LATE ?
    I recall a coffee rehabilitation program as well as the coconut rehab and the essential oils program under Minster of Agriculture O J Seraphin in the 70,s
    has time eroded the foundation of our agriculture ?
    maybe checking in with ERROL HARRIS AND COLIN BULLY the then technical officers who are still active though retired in a brains pool for Agriculture is a good idea

  8. Anthony P. Ismael
    August 22, 2015

    I get it. In the initial stages, Dominica will concentrate on branding, like the Swiss refiners that you mentioned. However, the point of building a coffee plant was to process our own locally grown coffee and kick start a new agricultural revolution on the island.

    It appears that some planning should have taken place and that didn’t happen.

  9. Dan Tanner
    August 21, 2015

    It was always evident that Dominica could not produce coffee. So now Dominica can be a colonial resource for a coffee-producing nation. That is not progress.

    But the real reason for the coffee plant. Probably to smuggle drugs in coffee containers.

  10. Me
    August 21, 2015

    Thats why nothing much happens in Dominica, its a place for people to retire .

  11. King Skerrit
    August 21, 2015

    In his 2014/15 Budget Address, PM Skerrit said that he was going to commission the Venezuelan funded Coffee Processing Plant at One Mile, Portsmouth. He also said in his recent budget address that the Plant will be commissioned later this year. I guess that they are still installing a transformer at the plant, because nothing has started.
    Interestingly, sometime ago, ELEVEN 20ft Containers of Coffee beans were imported from Venezuela to begin production.
    Do you know that ALL the coffee beans in the 11 containers got spoiled and the Government is secretly trying to dumped them over the place?
    What is the monetary value on the wasted eleven 20ft containers of coffee, in terms of importing to Dominica, transporting to Portsmouth, value of beans per container, expected value of final product, cost of dumping and others?
    This is a demonstration of gross incompetence by the Skerrit led DLP government, but the people of Portsmouth and Dominica continue to remain silent.

  12. John Paul
    August 21, 2015

    Mr. Drigo was the coffee dumped or not?

  13. REASONING
    August 21, 2015

    :?: I am one who does not encourage the building of factories here,but develop as an eco island.We do not have alot of the landspace for factories,because of our topography.We have to be careful not to pollute or environment like our rivers and sea/ocean. :?:

  14. REASONING
    August 21, 2015

    :?: Hear dry-go the dead horse carrier trying to insult the intelligence of the people!I suspect these bunch of incompetent cannot do illegal thugs posing as government,looking for sympathy everytime they try to speak!Wanting to compare Switzerland producing chocolate,without being able to grow cocoa of which we all knows it’s because of the winter cold and Barbados importing fruits to process into juices,when we know that Barbados is not an agricultural country because it’s mostly coral and less good soil there to grow most plants!This is exactly the reasons why we should be producing alot of agricultural produce so we can export to those countries!We are not an island which can accommodate too many factories because of our topography,we should be more of an eco island producing all of the foods and fruits that those countries and islands cannot produce and let them do the processing.So dry-go don’t try to unjustifiably justify the importation of coffee to satisfy Venezuela! :?:

  15. Not surprised
    August 21, 2015

    This is what happens when there is no planning involved.

  16. Jack
    August 21, 2015

    Dominicans are Lazy people the Hatians are feeding us now, so why we open our big mouth and talk with no answers, we are clueless abd proffesional beggers.

  17. Jack
    August 21, 2015

    Mr Drigo ask them what is the answer to our problem, when comes to building a better nation.

  18. Doc. Love
    August 21, 2015

    During the budget, some people referred to the budget presented by the Sketitt led administration as the back and neck budget, associating it to cheap fowl parts. Because mention was made about the production of coffee to which money was budgeted , I wish to re phase the budget and call it a back and neck budget presented by a cannot do Government. Bello already has a world wide brand of coffee, Government could help the company to expend and employ the same twenty two Dominicans by delivering the 2000 tonnes to Bello, while the farmers are awaiting their coffee crop. It was reported on radio by members of the opposition , the Government had to dump the 2000 tonnes of coffee in question, I noticed the Minister did not address that report.

  19. justice
    August 21, 2015

    My people take heed. This Coffee Plant belongs to VENEZUELA. The importation of these coffee plants will surely be imported from Venezuela. Please open you all eyes. This P.M .Skerritt has definitely used his psychological charms on Dominicans, particularly their supporters (LABOURITES) during the Election Campaign.

  20. jonathan st jean
    August 21, 2015

    Minister Drigo,your reference to Switzerland and cocoa is laughable and pathetic. Switzerland being a cold country and because of the longitude and latitude can’t grow cocoa commercially. However Dominica can and has been growing coffee for a very long time. Your government has been in office for 15 years plus,and no cultivar of coffee takes 15 years to grow and produce.Therefore if there was propper planning by your government, then there is enough time for acrages of coffee to have been cultivated and ready for processing. But as usual the cart comes before the horse just as with the abattoir, the donkey’s tali is in front of It’s head.Your lack of proper planning and executing of that plan is part of the reason for the demise of the economy in Dominica.What a bunch of jokers

  21. Titiwi
    August 21, 2015

    Mr. Drigo is obviously out of his depth and not capable of handling such an issue.

  22. dunce
    August 21, 2015

    Bunch of coffees, look at what they do Brisbane just for speaking out.

  23. Jack
    August 21, 2015

    What is the answer to our problems, is there any Dominicans in the Diaspora that can help us. All people say is what Government is not doing. What are we doing , why dont we come down and build the factories and employ our people. All we are is proffesional complainers , we are clueless in what to do. We all are J eniuses at reading Shakespear but not good at doing nothing else. We spend our entire lives creating nothing. How many factories have we built.

  24. pooshoompeng
    August 21, 2015

    Bananas,Coconut, Breadfruit, Coffee. Open your eyes. Nous fini Bat. They are poisoning our soil and eventually kill our people. WAKE UP SHEEPLE!

  25. positive vibes
    August 21, 2015

    finally, some positive vibes in the country. Best of luck to all the locals set to benefit from this in the long term

  26. AA
    August 21, 2015

    Mr. Minister you are an idiot, plain and simple. I cant possibly understand how supposedly big men are so thin on planning and implementation. you all are weak and are simply wasting the resources of the country. you all do things without having any plan as to how it will be sustained long term. have you all done a business plan for the coffee plant as to how it will be sustained, what is needed.

    By the way did you all do one for the geothermal? you all wasted over 65 million dollars of the people money and you all cannot produce electricity. wouldn’t it be more cost effective if these funds was placed into wind and solar farms, the studies had already been done. This would have produced more power than what you all are proposing that the geothermal would.

    you guys are such a waste of time Dominicans need to bring a class action suit against you all in your personal capacity for the wastage of the scarce resources of the country

  27. 植芝 盛平
    August 21, 2015

    :lol: :lol: Drigo tell us about de ELEVEN 20ft Containers of Coffee beans were imported from Venezuela to begin production, is it true they all spoil?

    • Malgraysa
      August 21, 2015

      If true that would be sublime stupidity. Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez nationalized the Fama de America coffee company in 2009, seizing control of its processing plant the year thereafter. As far as I know, no compensation has been agreed to date. Venezuela has its own processing facilities but its coffee growers are reluctant to supply the State because of low subvention prices, paid in worthless Bolivars. In fact, Venezuelan farmers are even smuggling beans to Columbia against payment in U.S. dollars. It would be absurd for us to import coffee beans, to be processed here (…if only for the cost of transport and exorbitant electricity prices) for the roasted coffee to be shipped back to Venezuela to be sold locally at subsidized prices.

  28. grell
    August 21, 2015

    Just a bunch of jokers running this country.

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