Agriculture Minister promises coffee factory this year

Minister for Agriculture Matthew Walter has said that despite negativisms circulating about a Venezuela-funded coffee plant for Dominica, works are in progress and Dominicans will see the reality of that project this year.

Walter spoke at the Dominica Labour Party’s (DLP) Delegates Conference in Grand Fond on Sunday.

“You have been hearing persons making negative statements with respect to the implementation of this very important project but I want to tell you here today, in the presence of the ambassador, that this project is a reality and it will be implemented during the course of this year,” he said.

Walter continued: “Venezuela has put in place its national company and we in Dominica also have to do so. We are in the process of putting in place our national company. So as soon as that is done, my friends, we will begin to see work in relation to the implementation of this very important facility.”

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21 Comments

  1. DAGF
    February 15, 2011

    An other way, for the Venezuelan Dictator, to dig his hole in one of his leftist allies country !
    what next ?

  2. negre marwon
    February 14, 2011

    Wikileaks.. respect you really on the ball..You made my day…you had me laughing.. :lol: :lol: :lol:

  3. mal vat
    February 14, 2011

    so Dominicans getting jobs in factories but yet they still upset.. sigh one day the international airport will build and they will still be upset then Da would have little to no poverty with a growing population and yess you guess it they will still be dumb jerks who claim they are Dominicans bashing and hating.. carry on

  4. WIKILEAKS
    February 14, 2011

    World coffee exports amounted to 9.55 million bags in December 2010, compared with 7.91 million in December 2009. Exports in the first quarter of coffee year 2010/11 (October-December 2010) have increased by 15.9% to 25.71 million bags compared to 22.19 million bags in the same period in the last coffee year. In calendar 2010, exports of Arabica totalled 65.12 million bags compared to 60.52 million bags last year, whereas Robusta exports amounted to 32.39 million bags compared to 35.65 million bags in 2009.

    Please execute this project quickly

  5. Jade
    February 14, 2011

    Good for dominica! now i can come and plant coffee instead of caleing yeyen in america…Good for you dominica if you give them the coffee they will plant coffee

  6. keep
    February 14, 2011

    one thing matthew walters,wow well you definetly hats off to you sir have smoke screens…what a joke…you really know how to create some massive bush fires! but remember the wind blows and it clears out the vision of things in the area!

    what another wasted smoke screen by this Histroy making corrupted labour regime..only fit for the spetic tank…

  7. ....
    February 14, 2011

    Mr. minister, i guess we will have machines watching us for the next three years i.e. unless we have sufficient coffee trees to make this worthwhile

  8. hmm2
    February 14, 2011

    Is so if i had cut all my fig and plantain down and go and plant coffee i would stay; i would have to suck coffee beans for breakfast lunch and supper. Too much talk man just deliver, and stop making promises, this is way over due. Remember a promise is a comfort to a fool.

    • WIKILEAKS
      February 14, 2011

      What is Fig??

      • Cerberus
        February 14, 2011

        Mr. “Wiki”. You are obviously not a Dominican, but then we suspected that already, as otherwise you would know, that our “fig” (or figue) is your banana and our “banane” is your plantain. I know it is confusing but then we are a contrary people, which should teach you that not everything you hear is what you think it is.

        • WIKILEAKS
          February 14, 2011

          Dude, you really confused me…how did banana become a fig or a figue and it is not banane but then it is a plantain. If you call it by one simple name then it works fine.

          And what does fig or figue and or banane has to do with coffee…

          Just grow the damm coffee and stop the childish games

  9. well
    February 14, 2011

    good for the chance to earn some money but as someone already said; wouldn’t be more viable to use the produce that we have going more to waste like bananas, oranges etc?

  10. Wongping
    February 14, 2011

    Permit me to repeat what I said sometimes ago:the Japanese have a similar project for martinique,which doesn’t have much coffee planted.where is the problem my people.be constructive.i would also support it if it was comming from any project-seeking group.Keep the pace Matthew.

  11. follower
    February 14, 2011

    Mr Walter, if there are negativisms circulating regarding the coffee factory you have to blame yourself for that when you asked us on Jan. 5 2011 to “Let’s keep our fingers cross”. So we have taken your advised and have them crossed until Dec. 31, 2011.

  12. negre marwon
    February 14, 2011

    More lies more empty promises…
    Where is the coffee coming from? Dominica doesn’t even have coffee to make a tea cup of
    coffee…where are we going to get coffee to supply the demands of a coffee plant?.
    This is inappropriate at this time.We would be better of with a Juice factory to can and
    bottle all the wasted fruits we have spoiling all around the place. Wholesome natural
    mango, cherry,guava,carambola,papaya,lime,soursorp,kashima, kenip,tambrind.These are
    some of the juices we could use locally as well as export.

    • WIKILEAKS
      February 14, 2011

      Negre Marwon, how can you make a Tea Cup of Coffee…what are you really saying. This project is for Coffee not Tea.

    • Anonymous
      February 15, 2011

      you are so right my brother ,thats just what we need.

  13. Cerberus
    February 14, 2011

    I am all for job creation and have no doubt that plant will be completed this year, However, questions still remain:
    – why do we need a Venezuelan national company’s involvement if the plant is a gift to us?
    – when will the plant start actual production, and if this year with who’s coffee?
    – will the planned Dominican national company have the sole right to buy/sell coffee and fix the price?
    – after the plant is up & running will imports of finished coffee products still be allowed?

    Better to deal with this now rather than let it simmer and create more political fall-out later

    • Yes
      February 14, 2011

      I agree. they need to answer these questions

  14. The truth
    February 14, 2011

    Very good

  15. unknown
    February 14, 2011

    Having a coffee plant built here makes no sense. Where in Dominica coffee is grown on a large scale. A study must be carried out to find how many people here provide coffee to the local market.

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