Older farmers who are not utilizing their lands have been told that it can be converted into a source of income for retirement.
Acting Prime Minister, Ambrose George, told the official opening of a modern Dominica/China Agricultural Station in One Mile, Portsmouth that older farmers could enter into arrangements with younger farmers and earn income.
“I would therefore like to appeal to the owners of these farms to enter into arrangements with the younger and more abled farmers … either through lease arrangement or cut-sharing arrangement to put back those lands back into production,” he said. “By doing so the owners of those lands will earn an income whilst in retirement.”
George pointed to the new agricultural facility, established and operated by the Chinese, saying it has exposed farmers, youth, and importantly school children, to many innovations in agriculture.
“And that should whet their appetite for the sector and thus increase our output in various agricultural commodities. But we cannot achieve this if we continue to see very prime agriculture land lying fallow,” he noted.
The Acting Prime Minister also noted that no country should allow itself to be dependent on others for its basic food supply.
“We boast of fertile land, an abundance of water, and sunshine for most days of the year. We therefore have the assets, notwithstanding challenges to secure our basic supply of food through our own efforts,” he pointed out.
He also challenged nutritionists, home economists, and agro processors to come together with the aim of creating attractive, tasty and marketable food products from locally produced raw materials.
“In doing so, you will be contributing to saving foreign exchange, sustaining agriculture jobs and nurturing a healthier population,” George said.
Meantime Agriculture Minister, Matthew Walter, noted that statistics obtained from the Statistical Division for 2008-20011 revealed that there have been annual increased production in all categories of root crops, vegetables, tree crops and pineapples.
The only exceptions, he said, were 2007 and 2010 when the island was severely affected by Hurricane Dean and drought respectively.
He gave the following production figures which, he said, reflect the true performance of the agricultural sector from 2005-2011:
2005- 24,000 tons
2006- 26,000 tons
2007- 24,000 tons
2008- 28,000 tons
2009- 35,000 tons
2010- 28,000 tons
2011- 50,000 tons
He said statistics for 2012-2013 are not yet ready for disclosure.
“Hence, we can conclude there is growth in the agricultural sector, agriculture is alive and moving onto the next level,” Walter said.
Hon. Ambrose.. Its all ur government fault after 14 years promoting Aid than Trade.. Change is must, Trade with Aid.
“Older farmers who are not utilizing their lands have been told that it can be converted into a source of income for retirement.”
Ambrose, you look tired, you look old, very old, and you should long be retired! The reason people like you are still playing politics, talking crap is because politics is your only source of income, you could not, and cannot do anything else besides farming for a living in Dominica, that’s why politics became your savior!
Whereas you have long passed your retirement age; so too are the old men, and women you are trying to yoke and burden with your agricultural mentality! By the time someone reach the age of fifty-five in a place like Dominica, it is time to call it quit. That is why in the colonial days it was mandatory for civil servants to retire at age fifty-five, and live of the meager pension they received.
Farming is a much harder way to earn a living; the human body was not made by God to sustain such back breaking hard, and difficult work. On the so called Farms in Dominica the tools used are ancient; the human body, hands and feet are the energy (call it kinetic energy) if you wish which makes the primitive tools work. Pick any twenty farmers, man, or woman from the streets, and ask a medical doctor who practices in the field of; and treats people with orthopedic problems, to do a physical on each patient. I assure you that of the twenty, they all will have some sort of spinal disorder, I am sure none of those old farmers will be able to do a ninety (90 ) degree bend, one would be surprised if any of them could accomplish a forty-five (45) degree bend.
On close examination the doctor would find some of these old people suffering from, a twisted spine, to bulging, and degenerative disc, that doctor would find lots of spinal problems from L 1 to L 5. You have no knowledge of what I am talking about, so in order for you to understand perhaps you should consult with one of the quacks you people have operating in Dominica.
If you do not believe me try to ben over, and touch your toes; see if you can touch them. That is an ninety degree bend, a position the farmers have to accommodate, while weeding the grass from under the banana trees, and plucking the weeds from among the rest of agricultural products grown. That is hard work for you to burden seventy, and eighty years old people, and older with. Why don’t you retire, and remove yourself from the pedestal of easy living, and take up farming as a hubby, and see how you manage. The theory of the old people relates to the young also; they too suffers the same from the same conditions.
They say I look as if I am in my early fifties, nevertheless, of all the people I went to school with in the 1960’s in Wesley are all dead except a few. A handful remained in Dominica, however the majority of us still surviving, we manage to survive because we left Dominica, and farming behind. I became an Electronic/Electrical Engineer, as a result of my knowledge, I was able to retire at forty-seven (47) years old.
Not even you could have done that in Dominica; your time has come, retire, and leave Dominica to a more intelligent; more educated, and progressive people who will take Dominica beyond agriculture. Besides you people run off your mouth talking about agriculture, while you have no market for what you grow; cut the crap man; the world has been in the industrial age long before you were born; you are backward, get out of there!
The youths of our country do not need to hear your crap! Your children and grandchildren are in the State of Florida which is an industrialized State, I have not seen a single coconut nor banana tree in Florida, if you wish the farm lands in Dominica to be re-utilized why don’t you invite them back home to take up their hoe, and cutlass, and fork and do what you are asking both the young and old to do in Dominica/
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Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
Why don’t you get water to the farm lands so farmers can have water .
DA have over 300 hundred rivers and streams is not water dey need. sot
Ambrose should be ashamed of himself…he is the only Minister with a Masters degree in Agriculture and never took that Ministry…now you telling farmers to go back to Agriculture while he pretends he is a Computer expert in the Ministry of Information technology…Shame Shame for betraying our farmers for 14 years and still making profit by sell fertilizer ans suppliers to them as a private businessman…
Mr. Ambrose, well said. This is an excellent opportunity for younger farmers and for the older ones. The land should be utilized so as to produce fruits and vegetables to feed nationals. Buy local should be the motto. In so doing the older farmers who can no longer farm, will benefit from it for their retirement.
Forreal we are living in 2014 and not 1420 people need good roads to carry their produce.Dnt want to be rude but y dnt u try farming with no roads.Just carry everything u pant on your head and let me kwn how long you gonna last.
ambrose pwen kuwe joshua francis is right at your back .u can see election coming for true all of them a working hard to win back there seats …………………………..
I agree with hon George, after 14 years this land is well rested
release the fertilizer to the farmers and not supporters that does not plant… bunch of lazy corrupt politicans
I visualize a severe punishment is coming for people as you.
yes they government holding fertilizer in poopoo prison and only releasing it to their supporters. u more sot!
agriculture was alive and well before dlp came along but eletion is around the corner and they are running around like the place is on fire . when the members of the dlp spoke on the radio they threw the word international airport at the other party like maypwee saying that is all they spoke about but now they are talking airport .
what would you like hem to talk about? nothing?
Before no trouble with your “young farmers,” leave my land where it is, please. All you are out of ideas and want to tell people what to do with their property? Go and take care of the fig disease first. Then get market for the produce dem, and stop wasting time.
You lack ambition.
Simply the Truth:
You know, right here I am going to give you a little hell!
I do not know how old you are, I do not know what occupational skills you posses; I do not know if you spent any time in a college, or university pursing a career and higher learning.
Many of us have. What I do know is that you reside in Canada, where I am sure that you are living life much more comfortable that the person you are suggesting has no ambition. What is so ambitious about farming; you may have seen Farms in Canada, you may have the opportunity to view some if you ever visited the United State. I am privilege to see Farms on my way driving through Canada, I have seen hundreds of Farms in the State of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and California.
To tell you the truth I have never sen any farm running up hill, as they do in Dominica, I have never seen a Farm in Canada, nor America on the side of a Mountain, and certainly I have never seen anybody bending their backs digging holes and planting vegetables, or any form of agricultural produce. I have seen heavy equipments toiling the soil, and sowing seeds.
One man in a single day on a Farm tractor cultivates hundreds of archers of land, without breaking a sweet. And even at that Farms still go out of business in America, and Canada also. I you do not believe me I invite you to take a trip to Oklahoma, and tour the areas where farming is conducted, and report what you see. What the people do in Dominica is called Bull-work, such are the tasks for Ox, (a domestic bovine mammal), mules, cattle, and donkeys. How come all of you who believe so much in Agriculture refuse to become personally involved in to it?
Reading DNO, I just found out the man has a masters degree in Agriculture, how come he chose to live of the blood of the people playing politics rather than getting his hands soiled on his farm; he should own the largest Farm in the country, since he is skilled in the science of Agriculture. What we have here is simply this, I will talk, and you will break your back doing; that is exactly what you “Simple the Truth” is supporting right now. I would like to see you and the one named Elizabeth walking to you all Farm with you hoe, fork, and machete on your shoulder, and your straw hat on your head!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
Poor Elizabeth would not last five minuets in the field, I do not know about you. Anyway Elizabeth already have two horses and carriage in Canada, she can take them with her to Dominica that will be her transportation to take her through the mountain. And Liz, there is no way you can call me a liar on this one cause if you do I will send your picture of you holding your houses yoked on to the carriage to DNO so that they can confirm what I say is true oui!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
In any event; people do not go to school to get scientifically educated these days graduate, and go to break their backs planting agricultural produce to make a living, just because you and waste of time Ambrose chose that fate for them. If the person you suggest have no ambition was not an ambitious person they would be condoning Ambrose crap; you should tell Ambrose to advise his daughter to give up her good life in Florida and return to Dominica and he can become here slave-driver while she work on his farm.
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
I love that idea Mr. George.
I like it, I like it, I really like it, yet its too late Ambi !!!!!!!! and what I hear of facility owned and operated by Chinese. Dominica really sell for Chiney then
After Ambrose and the lazy Government repair the feeder roads so we can have access to these land then we can be encouraged to utilize the lands from our older farmers. And also incentives of getting forms of transportation at a reduced priced for farmers is what this government need to take on so we can transport our produce to the various markets for sale. So unless these wicked people can help the farmers in that way he just need to shut up.
people back in the days,had no roads and they farmed,you have the nerve to post this lame excuse talking about lazy government,you all go ask for an airfield to this farmlands to man,i never hear more
Some people of this generation are spoilt brats, inconsiderate and ungrateful. These expect something for nothing.
you hear lies, that is lie…
you gs wakeup man? boy theopp not ez
Build accessable roads first,then we can move on.