Hon. Fidel Grant, Agriculture Minister in the Commonwealth of Dominica has said that his Ministry is continuing to make strides towards the improvement of the industry on island.
The Minister said that all the plans and policies of his Ministry is geared at ensuring that nutritious food is readily available to all Dominicans; that Dominica remains the bread basket of the region and that the agriculture sector remains the underpinning of our rural economy and the nation.
The Minister cited 67.5 million obtained from the World Bank under the Dominica Emergency Agriculture Livelihood and Climate Resilience Project (DEALCRP). He said that this funds were used to procure fertiliser, agrochemicals, small tools and equipment. A total of 3274 applications were received under the crop component and 2906 have been approved, while 2617 have signed beneficiary agreements. He said that although the ministry experienced difficulty in the initial bid process for tools, this has been rectified. The minister said that over 4 million will be spent to provide useful tools to farmers.
Under the livestock component, 310 applications were received, 233 were reviewed and 54 have been approved. Under this component building materials and labour will be provided. Some livestock farmers will receive brand new structures, other struts will be retrofitted and those needing less than ten thousand of repairs will be repaired.
300 applications have been received under the fishing component for various items such as engines, boats and canoes. The Minister boasted that all boats will be built on island and boat builders will receive further training to enhance their skill.
According to the Minister, the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) was activated during the Covid-19 pandemic and to date over 3 million dollars have been paid out to farmers.
The Ministry of Agriculture is also involved in the repair of structures throughout the island including the DAPEX building and the Londonderry station.
Hon. Grant said, “Indeed we continue to view the Agriculture and fisheries sector as one of the most significant sectors to the National Economic Plan.
