The Honourable Minister for Agriculture, Johnson Drigo, on Friday, May 6th, announced that as early as May 2016, the Ministry will be assisting the Fair Trade organisation with the inspection of boxes for export.
The Honourable Prime Minister, Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit gave his support to the Minister for Agriculture on moves to improve banana exports.
He emphasized the need to maintain the quality of bananas from the Dominica market.
“We have to maintain high standards. We cannot just put the bananas in a bag on a boat under heat and when it gets to the islands, it is black. Understand that when we do that, we are destroying our opportunities and making things more difficult for the country. The markets are there, we have input resources to enhance and sustain the market but at the end of the day, the quality, packaging and cleanliness of the fruit lies squarely on the laps on the farmers and the hucksters,” he said.
The Honourable Agriculture Minister, Johnson Drigo, stressed that this is as a result of reports about the quality of bananas exported to other islands.
Hon Drigo reminded farmers that Dominica does not have a monopoly on banana exports.
“The idea of farmers just packing boxes anyhow and sending bulging boxes must be a thing of the past. Reports reaching me indicate that some of the bananas which we are exporting are of poor quality. There should be no scruffy, [rotting], bruised, thin or over-grade bananas packed in boxes for export,” he asserted.
[Hon Drigo and farmer]
The Honourable Minister explained that the move to inspect outgoing bananas is to ensure that only top quality bananas leave the island.
“We have to secure the markets which we already have. Of course, we know that our fruits are the most succulent but the appearance of the product is important.”
He says he has seen Dominica’s plantains on the Antiguan market which appeared battered and bruised.
“We will push to ensure that the products leave in the reefer (refrigerated) containers. Whatever has to be done, the Ministry will do it to ensure that the bananas leave the country in top form which the market requires but the farmers mist play their part. It’s your business to secure,” he said.”
Meanwhile the Honourable Prime Minister described Government’s obvious commitment to agriculture.
“In practical terms and in terms of commitment to farmers, farmers are [enjoying] fertilizer highly-subsidized by Government and are free in some cases.”
The Hon. Finance Minister revealed that bags of fertilizer which retail at $140 per unit are being handed out to farmers at $20 and often at no cost.
“I challenge any farmer or critic in Dominica to tell me of any Caribbean island with such levels of subsidies (with the exception of St. Vincent because of our similar ideological pursuits). We are making the investments.”
