The Saint Mary’s Academy (SMA) in collaboration with Jolly’s Pharmacy has launched its first Agro Business Cooperative.
At a news conference held on March 02, 2018 to launch the new undertaking, managing director of Jolly’s Pharmacy, Dr. Orrin Jolly, presented a cheque of EC$7,520 to the principal of the St. Mary’s Academy, Mr. Thomas Holmes.
The project was conceptualized to create a business venture for students through agriculture. It aims to develop practical farming experience, sales and marketing skills, bookkeeping skills and a sense of business ownership among the students.
Under the project, twenty-five 4th and 5th form students from the Agriculture and Business classes are expected, over a two-year period to cultivate crops such as lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, beans, pumpkin and squash. This venture will also contribute to the students’ grades in the school-based component of their Caribbean Examinations.
“Students should be 100% committed to the club and their success would urge other schools to emulate such a project,” Head of Public relations and Public Health at Jolly’s Pharmacy and director of the project, Mr. Carlton Lanquedoc said. He encouraged the students to take ownership of the project and work together in an effort to make the Cooperative a sustainable business venture for the school.
Jolly’s managing director and a former student of the school, Dr. Orrin Jolly, stated, “farming yields many benefits economically and is one of the best choices that one can make”. He motivated the students to stay committed to the project and to make the school proud.
Principal of the Saint Mary’s Academy Thomas Holmes thanked Jolly’s Pharmacy for donating the funds for the cooperative and encoraged the students to do their best to support themselves. “We have to sustain the programme. Whatever we do in the project is going to go towards the canteen and also to sustain the programme,” he stated.
He stated that a canteen was set up at the school because he realized many students were challenged especially after the passage of Hurricane Maria.
“We started the canteen because we realize that many families were challenged even the students who are present today some of them are not in their regular school uniform because of Maria because of where they live no electricity, no water,” he said.
Holmes stated that many students would come to school without breakfast and would have nothing during the break,
“It is an expensive venture so we are hoping that the produce from this project will go towards that,” he said. “The raw produce they can have it when they are having their snack and lunch and also whatever monies we have from that will go towards sustainability.”
Jolly’s Pharmacy is a privately owned pharmacy on island established in 1980. The Pharmacy has two branches which are located on 8 and 12 King George V Street and 37 Great George Street.
Excellent idea. But i want to further encourage the students to create and develop a finished value-added product from the produce that they grow. We need to teach our youth that you should not only stop at growing fresh produce, but other products can be processed from them. for example they can make flour from the pumpkin, or create a health drink made from the cucumbers, carrots, squash and lettuce. Just a few ideas. If you really want to get into agro business, this is the next step.
This is serious stuff , a step in the right direction to sustain the future framers of Dominica.
It is time we move away from the colonial view we have of agriculture. The time when parents would tell their children that they are sending them to high school so that they do not have to go into farming should be a thing of the pass. The time for establishing a framework making farming a viable and profitable occupation is now more than ever.
Yeah…so I’m gonna send me kid to be a farmer?? Yeah right..not happening.
Great venture! We have to fo all we can to ensure that the cjildren succeed.