The Ministry of Blue and Green Economy, Agriculture and National Food Security, in April 2021, signed contracts valued at nearly EC$4 .5 million dollars with two regional companies (St. Lucia and Jamaica), for the procurement of Agricultural Tools, Equipment and Supplies for distribution to crop farmers under the Emergency Agriculture Livelihoods and Climate Resilience Project (EALCRP), the World Bank Funded Project.
T-MAX Supplies Ltd of St. Lucia with contract valued at EC$3,515,437.50, will supply the project with Hand Tools, Motorized Equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE’s) for agricultural production. While, ISRATECH Jamaica Ltd, with a contract valued at
US$ 345,040.97, will deliver agricultural supplies.
The Agricultural Tools, Equipment and Supplies for the restoration of crop production will include: Hand Tools (forks, hand spades, pick axes, hoes and Secateurs. Agricultural Supplies (water hoses, wheel barrows, water tanks, harvesting and banana trays, drip irrigation kits, shade nettings, trellis wire and potting soil). PPE’s (Eye protectors, gloves, respirators and cartridges). Motorized Equipment (Knapsack sprayers, mist blowers, rotavators, brush cutters, water pumps and wood shedders).
The tender which was an international tender, saw twenty-one suppliers indicating interest, and requesting bidding documents, but only five firms namely, Dominica, United Kingdom, Spain, Jamaica and St. Lucia submitted bids for the procurement of the Agricultural Tools, Equipment and Supplies within the bid submission deadline.
To date the project has signed contracts for procurement of inputs i.e fertilizers, agricultural tools and motorized equipment, vegetable seeds, and agrochemicals, totalling over EC$14 million dollars.
The Emergency Agriculture Livelihoods and Climate Resilience Project (EALCRP), the five -year, World Bank Funded Project, which has been under Implementation for three years has made significant progress. The project begun delivering on its Sub Component A1- Restoration of Farmers Cropping System in March 2020, with its initial target being 3180 crop farmers.
To date, the project has received 3312 applications for crops; Approved 2909 and signed Beneficiary Agreements with 2695 farmers. The number of beneficiaries so far, who have collected agricultural inputs, agro -chemicals, tools and equipment amount to 2782 farmers.
Following the devastations of Hurricane Maria in September 2017, the Government of Dominica received financial support from the World Bank to the tune of US$25.0 million equivalent to EC$68 million dollars for the implementation of the “Emergency Agricultural Livelihoods and Climate Resilience Project (EALCRP), a five-year period intervention.
It is designed to help farmers and fisher folk affected by Hurricane Maria restore their agriculture and fishing livelihoods and adopt climate resilient practices.
I think, if Agriculture is a profitable sector, one where Dominica can feed its people and the neighboring islands, why do farmers keep needing these free gifts and the sector not evolving? Why dont farmers invest in their own development and buy the necessary equipment of the day? Its a business for crying out loud. To me it just seems like farmers here are always at a disadvantage, always need assistance. Farming and agriculture has digressed from what it once was. I remember stockfarm used to have livestock and farms. We have not mechanised out operations apart from maybe a brushcutter, sprayer and a chainsaw. Farming equipment is affordable and import duty free. And while i commend the ministry for doing this, farmers need to step it up. look at how its done in other countries. do your own research and improve your own businesses.
Would have preferred to have seen a local company win the bid. Why are we outsourcing so many contracts with no reciprocity?
We had this before. Where did all the tools and equipment end up in the end? Yeah, you all got it in one: Labour Party Operatives, who haven’t even got a square foot of garden to their name.