“I am pleased,” says PM Skerrit about outcome of Value Chain Stakeholder Consultation

Dominica: On March 17, 2022 (Thursday), Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit notified about the “Value Chain Stakeholder Consultation” held at the Goodwill Parish Hall on March 16 (Wednesday).

PM Skerrit stated that he has been linking the response of the Consultation and outlined the benefits of the event.

Prime Minister Skerrit mentioned, “I am pleased with the outcome of the Value Chain Stakeholder Consultation held at the Goodwill Parish Hall on Wednesday evening.

The Consultation identified measures to strengthen the value chain to promote food security and achieve sustainable growth in the agriculture sector.”

He further assured that the government of Dominica would look at the suggestion as well as recommendations by the participants of the event.

He added that the government’s motive has been focusing on linking the agro-enterprise to the markets, which would increase the performance to a good level.

PM Skerrit was quoted as, “Going forward, Government will consider the recommendations from participants and appoint a working group to champion the priority actions agreed upon. Our objective is to link agro- enterprises to market opportunities and create the enabling environment to improve sector performance.”

He further mentioned, “At the meeting, I again spoke of our plans to introduce a programme targeting professionals in agriculture and related fields, who can bring some level of expertise to the cultivation, marketing and sale of high-value crops. The government will provide a quantity of land, greenhouses, planting material, an irrigation system and labour for six months to jumpstart the programme.”

In the end, he optimised that the authority would engage in these initiatives in the upcoming weeks.

“I look forward to further engagement on this initiative in the coming weeks,” PM concluded.

Earlier, the Commonwealth of Dominica government has launched the High-Intensity focus ultrasound (HIFU) at the Dominica China Friendship Hospital (DCFH). Minister for Health, Wellness and New Health Investment Dr Irving Mclntrye announced the commissioning of HIFU services and referred to it as a “historic day” in the continued development of hospital services in Dominica.