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Prime Minister Tells Farmers to "Hold Tight"
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Prime Minister Tells Farmers to "Hold Tight"
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Contact: Roger Joseph Tuesday, October 24, 2000 – Prime Minister Honourable Dr. Kenny D. Anthony has told farmers in the some parts of the south of the island to "hold tight; we will survive!" That is the message that the Prime Minister is taking to banana farmers this week as he tours banana holdings on the island. On Monday, the Prime Minister toured farms in communities such as Belle Vue, Grace/Woodlands, Viellelitre (pronounced "Ve-ay-lit) and Banse in Vieux Fort and Laborie. He met with individual farmers and saw the areas in which they grew their bananas, discussed their concerns and told them of initiatives the Government of Saint Lucia had taken to help them through this time of depressed market prices. Many farmers expressed concerns about the returns on their investment, the cost of inputs and the delays in getting their holdings sprayed. There were concerns too about the number of banana companies currently in operation, a situation that the farmers saw as adding to the overheads in the industry on the whole. Questions were also raised about reports of corruption in one of the banana companies and the likely impacts on the industry. In responding to the concerns raised by the farmers, the Prime Minster and his delegation told farmers that spraying was recommencing this week as the government had secured some funding from the European Union to the tune of 1.12 million dollars to assist with leaf spot control. The farmers were told of other initiatives taken by the government to assist them, such as the lowering of the price on boxes by one dollar and the removal of all duties and consumption taxes on inputs as well as for farmers wishing to purchase new or replacement vehicles. Dr. Anthony says he found that many of the farmers were unaware of some of these initiatives and is surprised that the reductions in the cost of inputs, apparently were not being passed on to the farmers. Monday’s tour ended with a meeting with all banana farmers from the surrounding area at the Belle Vue Combined School, and although the team did not get to tour farms in Desruisseaux as planned, the Prime Minister was satisfied with the day’s proceedings. The Prime Minister and his delegation tour farms in the north of the island on Tuesday, including Babonneau, Cul de Sac and the Roseau Model Farms. The tour continues on Thursday and Friday this week, when the Prime Minister expects to complete this exercise. The purpose of the tour is to update farmers on the latest developments in the banana industry and get a first hand assessment of the conditions facing the farmers in the field. Dr. Anthony is being accompanied on the tours by the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Honourable Cassius Elias, the Parliamentary Secretary in that ministry, Honourable Anthony Torrence, Permanent Secretary, Dr. James Fletcher, St. Lucia’s Ambassador to the United Nations, His Excellency Julian Hunte, who is also the Government of Saint Lucia’s representative on the Board of WIBDECO, and other officials of the Ministry of Agriculture. |
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