A former minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Marketing is pointing fingers at the incumbent Government for causing the downfall of the agricultural industry and fooling local farmers.
Norris Charles, who is also the previous parliamentary representative of the Roseau Valley constituency, said that during the United Workers Party’s (UWP) stint as Government farmers were happy.
In 1995, the UWP won 11 seats at the general elections forming Government for the first time.
“We were not there for supporters only, we were there for everybody. The farmers were happy,” Charles told a public meeting in Salisbury last week.
According to him, farmers were lucrative and more productive. He accused the Government of encouraging persons’ to beg and only creating opportunities for their friends with businesses.
“They [the Government] know that agriculture is the main stay of your economy and what they want to do is to kill that economy so you can go and beg them … they are giving their friends license to bring in tomatoes, they are giving their friends license to bring in cabbages at half price; they are giving their friends license to bring in all things you can produce so therefore you cannot sell,” Charles claimed, expressing his dissatisfaction with the increase in the cost of production.
“Dominica cannot compete with the United States as far as production is concerned … so when they are selling their things half price and you cannot sell your things at a price that it is worth they’re trying to tell you forget agriculture. And more than that whereas they are bringing down the price they are increasing the cost of production, they are increasing the cost of input,” he explained.
When he began farming in 2000, agricultural products were cheaper as compared to today, Charles recalled, adding “a bag of 100 pounds of fertilizer was $40 and we used to buy it some time ago for $45 because Government say they subsidize the price, but now … they fool the farmers. They say they would subsidize but they did not pay and as a result they’re owing over half a million dollars. [They are] fooling the farmers and now a 50 pound bag of fertilizer is now $65 … they killing us; they are bringing down our price. How can we survive?”
This week, Agriculture Minister Matthew Walter described statements by persons blaming the Government for the decline in the agriculture industry as unfortunate, misleading and mischievous.
That is the govt. ploy worldwide…….Make the people poverty stricken so that the govt. can take them over and control them.
Bring back the good ‘ol days.
Farmers,,,,,,get yourseves some chickens, cows, pigs or whatever and create your own fertilizer. The chemicals that they are putting in the fertilizers like sodium floride are detrimental to the health of the people eating the products that you are raising.
It is time you started crossing over to organic unless you want to get cancer and also cause others to get cancer from the chemicals that you are using to produce food and getting into the food chain.
Get the kids interested in farming in grade school. Have an agriculture elective that they get credits for.
Tourism will never take off here exponentially because most tourists are not looking for a nature island, they are looking for the beach. The govt. is beating a dead horse and hoping that it will get up.
FORMER Minister Norris, I am happy to see that you resurrect now. Glad to see you my boy. All you win back all you seats, so all moo moo talking again. Just don’t behave like your leaders who have no direction and focus. Now and again you can give a little comment but be careful of what you say and think first before opening your large mouth (just a little advice, feel no way). We in the Valley watching your moves ……. because the next time will be your last time. Your FORMER supporter. Still a friend.
Stop it man, there is very little poverty in Dominica according to the ‘Prime Deceiver’….what a farce. Take away farming and you don’t have a people or country.
The chinese have a very good thiing going for them, it is called “little portion”. They are now dominating the world market because they understand, the basics of growing an economy,. It is called developing your natural resources, or levying a tax on tourism. A country’s main stay is in it’s abilty to develop it’s natural resources, so that within it’s cycle jobs can be created. Farmers and farming in a country like Dominica though not easy, should and must be the focus on any serious goverment. However, we understand the adverse effect of natural disasters, and the risk factors like soil erosion within the topograhpy, therefore, the emphasis must be on managed resources that are at the heart of the people who know it best. Goverment can certainly influence that decision by creating long term subsidies that would force prices down and yet create a good living for farmers in every aspect of the agricultural sector.
I can feel what the farmers are gaing through,and if level headed Dominicans can’t speak out on what is happening to this country we will soon be looked upon as a failed state. Every sector in the economy is doing badly,hotel,manufacturing,agricultural, you name it.
My question is where are we going to fit the displaced farmers? At a time when the country is already plagued with drug trafficking,what message are we sending to the farmer who has to abandon his field,but he has a family to feed? Reality is, the incompetence of this administration has driven us into an abyss.Guess the PM wants all farmers to crawl to his red clinic.But honestly Dominicans only prayer for deliverance from this tyranny that we are going through can save this land..
Well Mr Norris.. Look at what you write before talking and
know your facts. In terms of inputs for crop production ( ie) fertilizer, persticides, tools etc), you cannot really expect the price of a bag of fertilizer to be the same now as it was then! That is just common sense.
If you mention areas such as the differences in the services provided to farmers, such as the application of new technology, training, better marketing abilities, formation of cooperatives to guarantee sale of produce then I can understand.
There is a lot wrong with the current system but let’s come up with viable alternatives as opposed to criticizing.
wasn’t mr. in office once upon a time. did he shine?
@Bro: I may be wrong, but seem to recall that we started farming before 2000.
Farmers are not a political force anymore in Dominica!!!!!!!
Gone are the days when u were a part of union representing farmers – fig in Dominica and school children use to march in Roseau – boy lots of free periods.
Those days are gone!!! Sad but so TRUE.
The Private Sector – hotel sector is the boss these days.
The academicians who only talk a lot and do not work in Dominica and pay no taxes in Dominica have replaced farmers as a political force. Why? They claim it as their god given right that the remittances less educated persons send home is enough for them to be representatives in the die-ass-poorer and tell political parties and the electorate in Dominica what they should do.
Anyway good to see you have political life still in you even doh u on life support politically
i’m a farmer and i know what u are talking about in terms of the price of fertilizer.. it’s not eassy at all