Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Harold Guiste, has said that Dominica and the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) now have the opportunity to get it right in terms of finding out what nutrients are in local soil and what are not.
He made the comments in light of a six-member agricultural technical team from the Kingdom of Morocco, who is here to advance talks on the implementation of a project for “Soil Fertility Mapping for Agricultural Development in Dominica and Other Eastern Caribbean Islands,”
He described the project as “important.”
“So it is a very important exercise because up to this time, we have been doing things the best that we can,” Guiste said during the launch of the project at the Fort Young Hotel on Monday.
Among other things, the project is expected to develop a national technical capacity for maximizing farmer’s profits and enhancing farming efficiency while maintaining good environmental stewardship and re-enforcing the extension system in devising soil fertility and fertilization guidelines for major crops.
According to Guiste sometimes crops get overloaded or under-loaded with fertilizer because farmers have not studied the soil to find out what nutrients are present or absent in it.
“Sometimes we may not get it right,” he stated. “This is an opportunity for us to be able to be targeted and to be able to get things right in terms of plant nutrition and agricultural development.”
The Moroccan technical team consists of Khalid El Moujaddidi – Deputy Head of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI); Abdennebi Benaouisse – Head of the Department of Bilateral Cooperation of the AMCI; Dr Rachid Mrabet and Dr Rachid Moussadek, soil experts from the Morrocan National Institute for Agronomic Research; Hassina Moukhariq and Ahmed Jelloul of the OCP Foundation.
While in Dominica, the Moroccan delegation will also hold discussions with agriculture officials from, St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The attempt to this issue is commendable but why can the Agricultural professionals ( soils Lab and Division of Agriculture) in Dominica undergoing this activity? We understand that it is difficult for us in terms of equipment purchase, technical assistance and capital and we do need all the help we can get from outside but we MUST be in control with these aids at our side.
I highly recommend that this activity should be repeated every 3 years as there will be changes in the soil profile ( specifically physical and chemical properties) throughout the country. Pesticide residue results from this project is of significant importance as we will have an idea as to the amount of chemicals in our water attachment areas and streams and rivers.
This data must be used effectively by the Ministry to control chemical use, forecast applicable fertilizer applications and types of crops to be cultivated and their total yields.
I concur that now is the time to get it right.
Has anyone else notice what I noticed? if not look carefully, and you will see Drigo with either his red shirt on or a red communist sash around his big ugly black neck!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
In addition to that they deliberately place three or four other red objects on the long table simply to remind Dominicans that the dictatorship is in control. All the masquerade they are masquerading, will result in nothing, its a waste of time, the crap the Morocco waste of time people will hand them will not bring any major, or significant change to agriculture in the country. It will not rid the world of Black Sigatoka, which plagues the country. I will say again nothing is wrong with the soil in Dominica, the problem is a simply scientific fact: The land is over worked, the land is under cultivation for too long without rest. If the Moroccans worth, anything and are credible they may discover that and informed Drigo, and Skerrit they on a quest that will result in…
I don’t see why Morocco should be interfering with our Nature Island soil !!!
We should be helping Morocco fertilize their soil !!
SOMETHING IS GOING WRONG !!
This is a warning !!!
Slave owneers they are coming to do the same in Dominica soon.Skerrit is going to selll your souls one by one.
One thing I know,,, and I’ll say it straight !! That Arabic, Islamic, Moroccan Relation is going to leave a bitter taste in Dominicans backside a few years down the road..
Experience talking,,,I have lived in France.