Minister for Agriculture Johnson Drigo has announced that the much talked about national abattoir will be commissioned by late February.
He said significant progress has been made where fresh pork and chicken are supplied to most government institutions, such at the hospital and infirmary, on the island and local restaurants are showing interest in providing fresh meat for their customers.
“This is a new area that the abattoir is now buying into and it is our hope that the abattoir will be fully commissioned by late February and the staff continues to work at the abattoir processing meat,” he said.
The abattoir is also looking to bring in about 4,000 chickens for the facility, “to ensure that the supplier of chickens for the abattoir is readily available.”
Drigo also stated that farmers are taking advantage of a special loan facility at the AID Bank for the pork and poultry sector.
“We are happy that our farmers are going to the AID Bank to get the loans, to expand their chicken farms and to expand their budget,” Drigo stated.
He also called out to the Dominican consumers to support local.
“All I am saying to the Dominican consumers out there, we have to continue to buy local,” he remarked.
The $10-million abattoir was financed by the government of Venezuela.
The facility was originally set to be completed by October 2013 and various dates were given after that for its completion and opening including January 2014 and March 2014.
In March 2016, Drigo, said it would be officially opened in April 2016.
In July 2016, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said the government will officially commission the facility in early August 2016.
None of these dates came to fruition.
The facility is expected to have a capacity output of 1,000 birds per hour and 50 pigs per day.
It was said that the abattoir was built to ensure food security, reduce the import bill, and provide employment in Dominica.
I call on Johnson Drigo incompetent minister of agriculture to deliver his resignation effective immediately and stop receiving salaries under false pretense.
Johnson exactly one year ago you told us the same thing. In 2013 you finished building that slaughter house and we still waiting for a regular production run and even so you said that your chicken is more expensive than imported one. Why would you do that when our people don’t have money already? Tell us, is it true that chicken processed at the abattoir is frozen and then thawed to put in supermarkets to sell as fresh frozen chicken? Is that true bro? Sorry but I keep buying my chicken direct from the breeder I know an if he is obliged to deliver his chickens to your abattoir only I know he will stop rearing them. But I can always keep a few hens in my backyard like my Nennen used to do. I already keep some banana trees for my own use because I refuse to pay $1.55/lb in the supermarket for inferior fruit. Our agriculture dead and buried brother.
These guys are like a broken record.They give dates for things that don’t come to fruition Why can’t Drigo give facts and figures on the number of farmers who have taken loans from the AID bank and how much was borrowed to date.It can’t be that hard to get an official from his ministry to get these facts from the Bank.He said that Some 4000 chicken will be brought in to keep the facility going.Did the chicken come before the egg?We are now subsidizing someone elses chicken operation.From the picture, behind the minister suggests that not much is happening at that facility,no wonder we have had so many dates for the commissioning of the abattoir.This thing is a failure vwith the tail before the head
Well well well…all I can so is shake my head. Everything is back to front and upside down in this place.
Everything coming out of government’s mouth is a broken record!
we need to do some forensic investigation with regards to how that development could cost 10 million U.S dollars….
i smell fraud, deceit and lies,
afuss jean Dominique sen haut
Unless somebody fixes the road, the pigs and chickens will have to fly to reach their destination.
In that case, they will be flying to the slaughter house.
Dominica is in shambles.
What a joke, the road is bad to the abattoir the critters will die on route!
Drigo you must be taking some real deep breaths before you talk to the media these days because nothing that you say makes a penny worth of sense.
Two great options for you now;
You either become the UNdertaker Minister
OR the Minister of your party’s flagship programme, The PIT LATRINE MINISTER.
This Abattoir thing is doomed to fail.
You can say whatever you like Drigo but I am not going to buy any chicken or pork from that place.i am Dominican and I love my country but I do not rust that dr. Toussaint facility, very simple. And if you all are going to put up impor tariffs and restrictions on imported meat I will simply become a vegetarian and eat fish. you can put that in your pie and smoke it.
that is still talking about. well D/a people you see why these people can never get Dominica any good Airport these guys a just little kids when it comes to business and runing the business of Dominica BIG JOKES
just shut up!!
Drigo during the election of 2014 you the opening of that abattoir. You now coming after two years and say feb 2017. Stop being an idiot?
When we really analyze our situation we should be extremely pissed at the people who accept bribe money and travel to come vote for government filled with inept like Skerrit, Drigo, Reginald, Justina, Kevlar etc.