Agricultural expansion among budget measures to create jobs

Dominican agricultural produce

Expansion of agriculture is one of the measures the government is banking on to cater for increased investment and job creation.

That’s among a series of plans outlined by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit as he presented the 2012/2013 national budget in parliament on Tuesday.

Improving the performance of the tourism sector through government led investments in new hotel plant and improved airline access, was another of the identified priorities contained in the budget.

“The establishment of Export Dominica as the main vehicle for the exporting of Dominican products,” is also being promoted by the prime minister as one of the measures being banked on, along with increased support for small and micro businesses by “significantly” increasing resources available.

He said the plans also include implementing a low carbon strategy and pursuing the country’s geothermal potential.

According to the prime minister, the government is continuing to invest heavily in the agricultural sector.
“Government recognizes that agriculture has the potential and provides the opportunity for rapid growth,” he told parliament.

He said there was an increasing demand for a number of crops in which Dominica has a competitive advantage within the Caribbean.

PMSkerrit wants to see agriculture playing a more dynamic role in the economy, and said this could be achieved by adopting a targeted approach on increasing production of certain crops.

Banana is expected to continue to have a serious role in that strategy.

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26 Comments

  1. Pedro
    July 21, 2012

    Where is the Minister of Agriculture. It seems that Dominica has a ONE-MAN Government who is only trying to fool the people with handout.

  2. I am Dominican
    July 18, 2012

    Very poorly put together, why is the budget allocation not included in the write up, so that readers can make sense of what is offered in this allocation.

  3. Akhenaton
    July 18, 2012

    This PM has no competencies in Economics, and no competencies in Finance, so he has reneged to a mathamatician who cooks up figures and gives phony explanations with the assistance of the IMF.
    This is Dominica for you

  4. Listening
    July 18, 2012

    We have a failed state when out of a 437.6Million dollar budget 2.2% and 3.4% is allocated respectively to Agriculture and Tourism the immediate and most potent growth engine of Dominica.
    .
    The GOVT slaps 54.6M dollars into learning without adequately enabling the other essential parts agriculture and tourism that creates the most direct and indirect jobs in Dominica. While Dominica is filled with trained( learnt) people who cannot find jobs.
    I need to make a distinction here, our people are well learned or trained but not educated because if we were we would never tolerate the improvise actions our Govt is taking up against the state.
    An educated masses stands up for what is right but a learnt or trained population is dangerous because they stand up for nothing.

  5. Can't believe it
    July 18, 2012

    St.Joe people this a shame from the kelver and skerrit…..get kelver and skerrit out so that allu poverty status can be greatly improve to what allo once knew. honestly I believe kelver needs a serios beating…..where are the men women, youths and children of St.Joseph?….do you all love skerrit more than allu selves?

  6. amanda
    July 18, 2012

    The problem is that there is too much imported food available at the supermarker: cabbage, carrots, etc; can it be provided by local farmers?

  7. Anonymous
    July 18, 2012

    pm, i want specifics of your plan. you can’t just come every year and say in general what you intend to do. You not catching me this year

  8. Country Man
    July 18, 2012

    We have a minister of finance with a psychology degree – so I am certainly not surprise how this budget is laid out especially for agriculture (which in my opinion should get at least the same fianancial commitment as tourism). THe agriculture sector is at its lowest ever and the psychologist is just putting words around the term agriculture in the budget to keep people hopes up. There is no real action plan for this sector which to me has the greatest potential of getting Dominicans back to work. From experience I can safely say that if the countryman/woman see an avenue to make money in agriculture they will not be sitting idle by the roadside day and night. I remember in the late 80s early 90s when banana was the in thing you could not find man idle. Actually fellas were leaving the secretarial and bank teller jobs in Roseau and heading back to the land. Banana may not be the crop of the future but there has to be other agricutural crops and programs that can be pursued to create the economic growth that DA needs. ONE THING I KNOW FOR A FACT IS WITHOUT FARMERS AND FARMS WE ARE DOOMED – FINI BAT! There is no way to live without eating food from the soil – lets make this our business

  9. Grotesque
    July 18, 2012

    Just to add my two cents; While there is a dire need for agriculture expansion; I would like to say that a great catalyst to that effort is empowering the people financially (Signifant increases in minimum wages). We must be able to support local by having enough money to by food, and that should serve as an impetus for farmers to further take risks(Invest)thereby utilizing financial facilities available to them. Coupled with foreign exchange from exports. People are only able to afford Rice and Pasta, because thats what most salaries can afford. Empower your working people Mr.PM!

  10. forkit
    July 17, 2012

    nothing here to stimulate the economy positively.. seem like its a failed state in the making

  11. financial head
    July 17, 2012

    and loads of mention about the NDFD but no moneys were given to them instead national bank got 10 million which still sits in their vaults since last year..

  12. kapel
    July 17, 2012

    Talk talk no action same thing all the time

  13. concern
    July 17, 2012

    According to the prime minister, the government is continuing to invest heavily in the agricultural sector.
    “Government recognizes that agriculture has the potential and provides the opportunity for rapid growth,” he told parliament.

    ok Let assume that there is a lot of sincerity in this statment. I beleive the first need of the agricultural sector is the Labor force. but most of the farmers can’t afford to hire more workers.
    imagine that the government decides to REALLY help them. This is the deal :for every new workers every farmer will hire, Government will pay half of their salary (average wages for a Farm workers 1000 ec$)( well should be)Imagine if the farmers could create 2000 jobs, then they pay 500 ec$ and Gov pay 500. it will cost 1 million to the gov every month let do this for two years, 24 month …then imagine what Dominica will be able to produce if there is 2000 people working for two years in the field…and then you had an other 3 million to update Dexia and to give them the tools to sell of of this overseas….
    2000 people will have a work guarante for two years, the farmers will develops their business and probably keep this workers after the two years.. but you will tell me : well How much it cost in total? 1 million everymonth for 2 years= 24 million + 3 millions to develop Dexia = THE PRICE OF A STATE PALACE GARCON !!!!

  14. positive mind
    July 17, 2012

    I support the pm on that

  15. Morihei Ueshiba
    July 17, 2012

    $9.46 million for agriculture yet 38.8 for his finance ministry all u SOT man :lol: :lol: :lol:

  16. Anonymous
    July 17, 2012

    While the farmers at pte michel get the road fix in the infrastructor [interior] of that village so they can bring there produce to marke?

  17. Anonymous
    July 17, 2012

    The pointe michel farmers has been forgotten, the infrastructed roads has been abandon for years, the end results are the people in that area dont have the incentive to grow, going up to gomier there has been a huge tree that block the road since hurrican David, no vehicle can pass thru, who is representing the people of that area?.

    The farmers in that area feel like a beaten slave, just give me my lashes.

  18. GOM
    July 17, 2012

    A government that is in a whirlpool. A government that is going round in circles. A government that killed agriculture, then when pressure was made to bear upon these lazy and incompetetn jockers (those headless chickens posing as a cabinet), they are back with their fancy and palattable talks.
    Mr PM what is the amount allocated to feeder road rehabilitation? Mr PM what are the strategies that are in place to lure/entice the youth to get into agriculture? Mr PM what about the area of shipping? Are we going to air lift the agricultural produce to their destinations or are we going to see two new ships plying our waters or MAYBE ARE WE GOING TO CARRY THE PRODUCE ON OUR HEADS TO THE VARIOUS COUNTRIES? Mr PM how many more supermarkets will be competing with these farmers?
    Only now this lazy cabinet has realized agriculture has the potential for rapid growth in the economy? OMG! It has always been so PM.
    FEEDER ROADS FEEDER ROADS FEEDER ROADS
    AIR TRANSPORT SEA TRANSPORT AIR TRANSPORT to rapidly move the produce!
    It is still good to see after rubbishing what patriots and true lovers of Waitikubuli have always been proposing ( the resusication of agriculture) that this lazy clueless and incompetent team of headless chickens spinning all around the place, finally is beginning TO SWALLOW THEIR PRIDE BEFORE THE COUNTRY SINKS UNDER THEIR CHARGE. WE WAIT TO SEE!

  19. Right Track
    July 17, 2012

    PM Organic is the way to go. I support you on this initiative 100% but we have to focus on organic produce in order to secure a good market out there, where there’s already steep competitionn

  20. CIA on the watch
    July 17, 2012

    A closer look at previous budget presentation we will read just about the same thing about agriculture expansion, my suspicion is that no seating government in office will present a budget and not mention agriculture, if that happens their will be a political prize to pay for that, so what this government did was to just mention agriculture expansion and during the financial year we will see no action, in the first place its under their watch for the past tweive years we are seeing the demise of the agricultural sector, irts under their watch that one minister said agriculture is a hass bin industry, its under their watch that the markets for our produce are non existent, its under their watch that farmers are abondoing their farms because of no incentives to the farmers, its under their watch that we are importing vegetables from other countries, for twelve years all these happen what confidence will the farmers have even if the phrase agriculture expansion was mentioned

    • July 18, 2012

      It’s the same old same old and you a correct if one should look back at the last budget tell us what are the differences this GOVT still dont get it and all they are setting out is a platform for election they are in a CAMPAIGN mode and they will say and do anything to stay in power and their are those who will never learn,
      Agriculture is the back bone of the Island nothing can and will prosper without it no matter what the GOVT believe FARMERS are the ones to show them how it’s done and only then we will start to see a great lear in the agriculture sector and D’ica will be back on it’s feet again.

  21. LorriJ
    July 17, 2012

    Can DNO post a copy of the budget statement? Thanks.

  22. zor sort
    July 17, 2012

    a lot of words but no figures, whoa i thought a budget was supposed to have more figures that words

    • hehehehehe
      July 18, 2012

      This was not a budget..it was a composition written by a Grade 6 student…

  23. uhhhhhhhhhhh
    July 17, 2012

    that’s it? $7.6 in capital investment should fuel growth in the economy? oh please

    • CIA on the watch
      July 17, 2012

      An example of a failed Government and failed state, Capital projects suppose to cretae some level of employment and with $7million how much can be done, i suspect they must be depending on their favorite friends ie China and Venezeula

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