PM Skerrit outlines various innovations in agriculture sector in Dominica

Dominica: The government has recently announced updates on the various measures taken to uplift the innovations in agriculture. These updates were shared through a press conference, hosted on March 14, 2022 (Monday), which was attended by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and Fidel Grant.

The conference shared update on the latest major agreements signed in the meeting of heads of CARICOM held at Belize.

While discussing about the details of one of the initiative Prime Minister Skerrit mentioned that the small business loan with the AID bank at some 27.4 million dollars that the government to AID bank, inland, to Dominican citizens at the 3.5 percent interest rate, with six month grace period on the payment of interest and principal. It also included the ten year period to repay the sum borrowed.

The second major agreement was the Kalinago Development Fund. Prime Minister Skerrit notified that this new initiative will contribute in the upliftment of the life of Kalinago sisters and brothers and seek to improve the economic fortunes of the Kalinago territory.

The fund will also improve the landscape, economy and the environment of the territory by creating new jobs.

Furthermore, the benefits of another development project – road map, were explained by the Minister of Agriculture, Food and National security Grant.

He stated, “This is significant because there is a fund available for under the blue economy and impacting the lives in terms of sustainable livelihoods and protecting the marine space of Dominica.”

He further stated, “The agreement will be providing technical expertise in terms of propagations of seedlings. Through the facility, the country would have a wide variety of tissue culture plants being propagated.”

In the end, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit highlighted the various developments in the agriculture sector. PM Skerrit mentioned, “To uplift the agricultural sector, the government has contracted a loan from World Bank, and we have provided farmers with inputs; we have given some cash provided them with equipment and tools to assist them on the farms.”

“The island has a wide variety of crops with huge food production. The government have been able to provide the concessionary loan during the pandemic and provided the farm support payment of farm labour for many farmers. The government has also uplifted food production,” Prime Minister further stated.