Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has said his government will spend an additional EC$10 million under the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) in order to provide support to farmers.
He said, while addressing the nation on Sunday, that support will be provided to crop and livestock farmers.
“We are also committing to spend an additional 10 million EC dollars under the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC), of the Emergency Agriculture Livelihoods Project,” he said. “Support will be provided to crop and livestock farmers. This will include the provision of planting materials, essential inputs such as fertilizer, small farming implements and animal feed to assist with meeting the cost of farm labour and other direct costs, cash grants have been approved to approximately 2,500 individual crop farmers.”
According to Prime Minister Skerrit, the amount of these grants is based on the size of the farmers holding.
“Farmers with small holdings will receive grants of EC$700, medium holdings EC$1,400 and large holdings EC$2,800. This intervention is valued at EC$3.5 million,” he explained.
Skerrit said the full details of the assistance package to the entire agriculture sector which also includes an ambitious seedlings program, as well as direct assistance to pork and poultry farmers, will be unveiled this week by the Ministry.
He said the government is confident that the interventions will help lower the food import bill, reduce household expenditure, improve dietary quality and increase sustainable employment.
“We should also see higher export volumes and increased income for families,” he stated.
Prime Minister Skerrit encourages residents to produce as much as possible while the Government is doing its part to ensure that there are markets available for the sale of your produce.
“We have also agreed to purchase fresh produce and fish from farmers and fishers who are prepared to sell directly to the government,” he stated. “Some of this produce will also be distributed to the most vulnerable in our communities. An amount of $3.0 million has been set aside to facilitate this programme.”
With all these millions floating around, can anyone find seedlings let alone seeds anywhere on this effing island? Antigua has as much agriculture with numerous green houses as Dominica does. Wasn’t $65 million mentioned just a short while ago, farmers were given a few seeds and haven’t heard a thing since then? Oh my.
Ok, here we go! First of all Skerrit says: We are committing to spend an additional 10 million EC dollars under the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC). Then he says: this intervention is valued at EC$3.5 million. Shortly after he states: an amount of $3.0 million has been set aside to facilitate this programme. What is it to be: 10 million, 3.5 million, 3 million??? The lies are so plentiful nowadays that he doesn’t recall what he said from one minute to another, 10, 3.5, 3… it’s all the same to him! Skerrit is a typical Jack of all trades but Master of absolutely none. He is PM, minister of finance, minister of agriculture, minister of health, minister of housing, chief of police…
@Batibou River, it is individuals like you, who causes the strife and vile in the country. When will you people learn to give thanks to God, instead of crying down everything He does for you all’s sake.
The ugly, suspicious mind that those like you maintain, is the reason you all do not get; because of your failure to receive what is given to you with a humble and grateful attitude, in the first place.
PM Skerrit and his governing body do nothing against the Will of God, and when you all disrespect his service, you all are disrespecting God’s work through him. So what else do you expect?
I leave it to people like you and your PM to give thanks to God. Thinking about it, you and your PM have a problem because God doesn’t like hypocrites! What are you gonna do now?
What hurts is we are over tens years to F.. late; when we were saying to this administration and this pompous, self proclaimed king of Dominica that we needed to diversify and put agriculture on a stronger footing, the respond was – “agriculture is a has been industry” when we warned this despot and his administration that concentrating and depending on CBI was high risk and not sustainable , we were told ” if not CBI, then what?’ when we said that tourism is important but we need to tie the tourism sector with agriculture and use CBI to fund agriculture as the priority sector in our sustainable development thrust , we were told that ” we were trying to kill the goose that lays the golden egg” Now they have to eat their vomit! I mean what a travesty! the most shameful thing is people like Rupert, Sonia, Clarence, the Ras, the Bottomless one, and others support that nonsense; OMG this island can do better but we need better leaders period.
Tremendous Initiative. Some believe that Mr Skerrit and his Gov’t should use this project as the impetus towards Manufacturing and Packaging, while at the same time Creating sustaining Jobs. As a member of the Begger Nation Club,they seem to have done very well in the Management of their Coffers. Globalization have created consequences never imagined, culminating with a Pandemic, some will become prisoners on their Islands, not being able to get out, will have to look Within Self and Create.This is the Best of Time to Limit and cease import of foreign substandard long term Poisoning Food products.
I wonder if rhis programme is in collaboration with the world bank?
Real farmers that not supporting Skerrit will not get but laborites that lazy and depending on the government Skerrit will just have them to sow cabbage seeds all over in their yard so he could qualify them as farmers and give them check. This place is so corrupt that even the soil is corrupt. Man I have seen all of these old movies the last 15 years
I wonder who will get and who not. I hope this time round it’s not only those farmers without land from Vieile Case that share the loot!
Batibou not one time that you can be positive? Always have some sort of story without proof. Batibou you are only hurting yourself with that kind of negative attitude. Let me see some positive suggestions from you. Why don;t you volunteer to assist with the Carib Territory area. Go and assess the farmers there and present them in categories of small, medium or large. The area where you live and should know everyone. Go Batibou! Eyes right! Hope to see your positive input next time. Stop being political and start do some tangible work in your community. Take note of this worldwide pandemic. The Creator is telling us something. It is up to us to take note and start loving one another and helping as Christ would.
Do not let Christ catch u bitter but better
My friend, I know exactly what I’m talking about. I spend a considerable amount of time every year in Dominica and I do help individual people. However, I will never ever work together with the present government of Dominica or any of it’s officials or ministers. Some month ago I had a quiet drink at the Kempinski and one of the government ministers came in with some of his friends. The minister loudly ordered a round of drinks for everybody and also asked me what I would like. I very politely replied that I don’t want a drink since I’m very selective who I drink with. Never in my life will I forget the face of this man. He was speechless… I am not and I never during my entire life have been for sale! Can YOU say the same for yourself?