BARBADOS: The Ministry of Agriculture has embarked on a project to reforest the Scotland District of the island.
This was revealed by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Esworth Reid, who was speaking at the awards ceremony for the Ministry’s Grow Well School Gardening Competition, on Tuesday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Over 200 Cub Scouts, Beavers, Girl Guides, and parents joined with a team of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, to kick off the Ministry’s programme to plant over 750 fruit trees on crown lands at Haggatts, St. Andrew.
Mr. Reid told the audience: “It is the Ministry’s intention to reforest the whole Scotland District with fruit trees with the hope of making it primarily the ‘Food- Fruit Basket of Barbados’. The planting of trees in the area will also serve to stabilise and conserve the soil since that area is very prone to slippage,” he explained.
The Permanent Secretary was of the view that the involvement of the various youth groups in the project showed that young people were becoming excited about agriculture again, something he believed should be encouraged by their parents, teachers and youth group leaders.
The Ministry of Agriculture has embarked on several projects to bring young people back into agriculture. Among them are the ongoing Youth Agripreneurship Incubator Programme, now in its second cohort, and the recently-concluded Grow Well School Gardening Competition, which was the first component of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Grow Well, Eat Well, Live Well, Right Here in BIM campaign.
The Lodge School was the overall winner of the competition, while All Saints Primary won the most creative garden and first place in the Container Gardening competition.
Hillaby/Turner’s Hall copped first place in the Primary Open Field Competition, while St. George Secondary emerged victorious in the Secondary Open Field Competition. Ellerton Primary took first place in the Cultivation under Protected Gardening category.
aisha.reid@barbados.gov.bb
Scotland District Set To Be Reforested
Provisional Industrial Production Index – Jan. 2016
BARBADOS: The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) decreased by 11.9 per cent in January 2016 when compared with the previous month.
According to data produced by the Barbados Statistical Service, this was due to decreases in Manufacturing by 20.5 per cent and Electricity, Gas and Water by 0.4 per cent. Meanwhile, an increase was recorded for Mining and Quarrying by 51.2 per cent.
The IIP for January 2016 recorded a decrease of 1.3 per cent when compared with the previous year. Decreases were recorded in the indices for Mining and Quarrying by 2.4 per cent, and Manufacturing by 3.4 per cent. Meanwhile, an increase was recorded for Electricity, Gas and Water by 2.0 per cent.
Output for the Mining and Quarrying Sector declined by 2.4 per cent at the end of December when compared with the previous year, due to a decrease in the index for Stone Quarrying by 12.0 per cent. An increase was recorded in Mining by 31.0 per cent.
Production in the Electricity, Gas and Water Sector increased by 2.0 per cent when compared with the previous year, due to increases in the generation of Electricity by 1.9 per cent; Water by 2.2 per cent; and Natural Gas by 2.9 per cent.
Year-on-year output for the Manufacturing Sector for January 2016 declined by 3.4 per cent due to decreases recorded in the indices for Food by 0.4 per cent; Beverages & Tobacco by 20.0 per cent; Wearing Apparel by 51.0 per cent; Electronic Components by 27.7 per cent; and Other Manufacturing by 8.2 per cent.
Meanwhile, increases were recorded in the indices for Chemicals by 35.9 per cent and Non-Metallic Minerals by 1.9 per cent. No change was recorded in the index for Furniture during the period.
Third OECS Council Meeting on Tourism matters ends with several recommendations on further advancing the sector.
Officials are reporting a successful conclusion to the 3rd OECS Council of Ministers Meeting on Tourism matters which was held in Antigua and Barbuda on Thursday April 21st 2016.
The discussions yielded several agreements pertinent to advancing the region’s economic development such as the continuation of joint promotion of activities in the Tourism sector and exploring the possibility via Cabinet of Government Ministers of Member States for endorsement to provide between 0.5-1% of respective Tourism marketing Budgets dedicated to a regional tourism marketing fund.
An agreement was reached to explore the possibility of Medical tourism in Member States as a niche area in the OECS. Also on health related matters the OECS Council meeting on tourism agreed to collaborate closely with Health Ministers in respective Member States in the regional drive to combat potential health crises, with a view to promoting and ensuring consistency and effectiveness in the approach to mitigating the potentially devastating impacts of those diseases. Ministers of Tourism have agreed to support the efforts of their colleagues Ministers of Health to support the international health regulations.
Ministers expressed grave concern over the limitations of air transportation and are to recommend to the OECS Head of Government that the region moves expeditiously to finalise and ratify the OECS Air Services Agreement (ASA).
Another recommendation coming out of the just ended 3rd OECS Council meeting on Tourism Matters is to develop a catalogue showcasing the unique attractions/ products in respective Member States.
Ministers also agreed to follow-up, where applicable with the relevant agencies, with a view to expediting the establishment of the One Stop Security Arrangement and to recommend to Ministers of Finance to pilot the reduction of taxes on airfares during slow travel to assess the impact on intra-regional travel.
The 3rd meeting of the OECS Council of Ministers on Tourism Matters was held in Antigua and Barbuda at the Sandals Grande Resort & Spa, under the theme: OECS Economic Union- Tourism, the Driver of Growth and Development.
Minister Robinson-Regis meets with CDF CEO
TRINIDAD: April 26, 2016: Mr. Rodinald Soomer, CEO of the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) paid a courtesy call to Planning Minister Camille Robinson-Regis on April 26 to discuss Trinidad and Tobago’s continuing role in the CARICOM Development Fund.
The CARICOM Development Fund was established under Article 158 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. The Agreement Relating to the Operations of the Fund was signed in July 2008 and the CDF began operating on August 24, 2009. Trinidad and Tobago was a signatory to the Agreement establishing the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF in 2008).
The main purpose of the Fund is to provide financial or technical assistance to disadvantaged countries, regions and sectors, to address the disparities among the Member States of CARICOM which may result from the implementation of the CSME and to enable them to maximise the benefits of participation in the CSME.
This meeting focused on Key Areas of Activity of the CDF:
• The Fund contributes to the sustainable economic development and social progress of CARICOM Member States individually and jointly.
• In 2013, the CDF completed its fifth successful year of operation, implementing projects that had been developed in the context of Country Assistance Programmes (CAPs). The projects included:
o support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
o trade and export promotion
o energy efficiency
o strengthening managerial capacity and
o infrastructural works
Funding and Strategic Planning
As at December 31, 2012 the total assessed contribution to the CDF was US$100 million of which US$91.8 million has been received.
Trinidad and Tobago made its full contribution of US$46.7 million (USS9.66 million came from the Petroleum Fund), representing approximately 51% of the total contribution received.
At The Thirty-Fifth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government the CDF’s funding cycle was extended from December 31, 2014 to June 30, 2015.
Notwithstanding their individual economic problems, CARICOM Member States have nonetheless demonstrated a clear understanding of the need to support their regional partners. It is in this spirit that the Technical Working Group appointed by the Thirty-Fifth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government recommended a replenishment of CDF’s capital fund based on the first cycle formula, with general commitments to pay in two instalments by December 2016.
SLTB markets to French Caribbean
ST. LUCIA: The Caribbean represents the third largest market segment for Saint Lucia, with the French Caribbean – Martinique and Guadeloupe – accounting for the lion’s share.
Last week the Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) led a three-member delegation on a four-day visit to Martinique to update key sectors on the latest developments of the Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival.
The delegation held a series of engagements with media partners and members of the travel trade in Martinique, ahead of the formal launch of the event at the popular night lounge “The Round Corner.”
The SLTB team which included Public Relations Manager John Emmanuel; Special Events Manager Dahlia Guard; and Regional Marketing Officer Suzanna Auguste, thanked the Martinique-based media and travel partners for their unflinching and longstanding support for the festival.
The team announced new event additions to the festival roster, and to the line-up – like Barbados saxophonist Arturo Tappin who now joins Chris Standring at “Jazz on the Beach” and Jamaican dancehall star Mavado who will headline the opening of the festival.
The Caribbean represents the third largest market segment for Saint Lucia, with the French Caribbean – Martinique and Guadeloupe – accounting for the lion’s share.
The festival will showcase a series of cultural events including musical performances, art exhibits, theatrical displays, an arts village, fine cuisine and a HOT Couture fashion show.
The festival runs from April 29 to May 8.
Barbados Benefits From PAHO Revolving Fund
BARBADOS: In its continuing efforts to build a robust immunisation programme, the Government of Barbados allocates more than $875,000 annually to purchase vaccines for its citizens through the Pan American Health Organisation’s (PAHO) Revolving Fund.
Health Minister John Boyce disclosed this last Sunday as he addressed a church service to mark the start of Vaccine Week of the Americas 2016.
Mr. Boyce explained that through the PAHO Revolving Fund, 41 countries pooled their resources to procure high-quality vaccines, syringes and related supplies for their populations at the lowest price.
Since its inception in 1977, the Fund has helped to vaccinate “tens of millions of children and save millions of lives,” the Health Minister stated.
He outlined some of the Fund’s key benefits to Barbados as the continuous and reliable supply of vaccines and supplies; easy access to a sustainable line of credit; and the provision of safe, effective, high-quality World Health Organisation (WHO) pre-qualified vaccines and related products.
Barbados also benefited from the creation of economies of scale that enabled bulk purchases at the lowest price, as well as from support to save lives through the elimination and reduction of vaccine-preventable diseases, Mr. Boyce added.
Due to the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), the Minister of Health revealed that there had been no indigenous cases of measles, polio, diphtheria or pertussis in Barbados in more than a decade.
joycspring@gmail.com
Ministry of Commerce developing business policy
DOMINICA: The Ministry of Commerce, Enterprise and Small Business Development is in the process of developing a policy to guide the framework within which small and medium sized businesses operate in Dominica.
In a recent interview with GIS news, the Hon. Minister for Commerce, Roselyn Paul, explained that the initiative will result in improved effectiveness and efficiency in the small business sector.
“We are also in the process of developing a draft policy on MSME in Dominica which is informed by a wider regional project for a harmonized policy on MSME,” she explained. “While this is happening regionally, it is informing what we are doing right here in terms of policy development and also development of legislation on MSME. There is also an ongoing project with the OAS on small business development center.” She informed this center will provide a central location where people can come for business counseling and to address their individual business needs.
The Minister believes that this framework will assist in building the enabling environment for advancing business development in Dominica.
Among other things, the small business policy will address business registration and grant support.
Generally, she says the aim of the Ministry is to improve the ease of doing business in Dominica.
“The vision of the Ministry is to ensure that we are the driver that will fuel business development in Dominica. That is our mission to be able to be the driver of economic activities related to business and enterprise development,” she stressed.
School visits part of weekly routine for police officers in St.Kitts and Nevis
Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 26, 2016 (RSCNPF): The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force has incorporated school visits by police officers as one of the ways for community engagement in 2016.
Several times weekly, officers from the various stations who are designated as school liaison officers visit the primary and or secondary schools located in the communities they serve. The visits serve as an opportunity to interact with the staff, address any security or safety concerns with regards to ensuring a safe school environment and also provides an enabling opportunity for the officers to engage and encourage the students to be good citizens.
Police Corporal Paula Jacobs of the St. Paul’s Police Station after a recent visit to her assigned school, the St. Paul’s Primary School said, “I’m pleased to be a part of the school liaison program, it gives me a chance to have an impact on shaping the lives of these young students. I look forward to the interaction on a weekly basis.”
Expressing support for the school liaison program Ms. Charisse Gumbs, Principal of the Washington Archibald High School said, “I applaud the initiative. Having the officers on campus interacting with our students helps to personalize law enforcement, and breaks down the barrier of ‘us and them’.” She added, “I look forward to the growth of the program, with the hope that it will yield much positive results by encouraging our students to become better citizens.”
“Initiatives like these must be encouraged and sustained” said the program coordinator, Superintendent Lionel Moore. He added, “the program fosters ways for our officers to connect with the communities where they serve, and most importantly, the hope that this police and student interaction will help to mold a generation of law abiding young people in years to come.” Supt. Moore also noted, “the teachers welcome it and many of the parents are appreciative of the support and reinforcement the officers provide for the lessons taught to the children at home.”
In addition to the weekly school visits, officers from several Police Stations also spend time volunteering in the various schools. Some officers have volunteered on a regular basis, while others volunteer at a number of school events throughout the year.
Another youth focused initiative supported by the Police Service is the ‘Drum Corps’.
(Press release courtesy of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force)
TTASL: Gymnastics and Lessons to be learnt
TRINIDAD: April 26, 2016: The Trinidad and Tobago Association of Sport and the Law (TTASL) is and independent body which aims to enhance the participation in sport from grass root to professional level and also promote the effective administration of local sport governing bodies.
Given that we are an impartial body and there may be looming legal proceedings we have decided not to
take any particular side, as justice must be delivered without outside and undue interference.
The events of recent weeks have however highlighted the need for effective alternative dispute resolution
within our local sporting fraternity. We at TTASL recommend the formation of the Trinidad and Tobago
Dispute Resolution Council which will aid in resolving disputes not just between Athletes and Governing
bodies but in resolving commercial and anti-doping disputes also.
We believe that there is a very important lesson that can be learnt and that herein lies an opportunity for
our sporting administrators, the sport company of Trinidad and Tobago and the Ministry of Sport to begin
the conversation on legally binding Alternative Dispute Resolution within the sporting industry.
The alternative to this will be that the only meaningful recourse that any aggrieved party would have is to
pursue costly and lengthy litigation before the Honourable Supreme Court. The end result would not be a
sporting result and will always leave the losing party with a bitter taste of vengeance in their mouth.
A sporting dispute resolution council will be based on the ideals of the Court of Arbitration for sport that
exists in Lausanne, Switzerland. It will be mediation and sporting centered and the panel will not just
include legal luminaries but also experienced sporting personalities that will add balance and equity to
any decision delivered with the interest of sport being paramount.
In the circumstances we see it fitting to end with the Words of Lord Denning in Enderby Town Football
Club v The Football Association [1971]Ch 591, ‘justice can often be done better by a good
layman than a bad lawyer’. We call on the Sport Company as well as the Olympic Committee to join
the TTASL to advance this conversation and put systems in place for the effective, speedy and equitable
resolution of sporting disputes within our beautiful twin island republic.
ICT centre for Anse La Raye
ST. LUCIA: The islandwide ICT access centre program is part of a strategic approach by the government to use information technology to empower citizens.
The Ministry of the Public Service, Information and Broadcasting will open the fourth Information Communications Technology (ICT) access centre, and the third in three weeks, tomorrow in the village of Anse La Raye.
The government’s ICT access centre program is designed to bring state-of-the-art technology and access to high-speed internet to communities that have lagged in the provision of these services.
The first ICT access centre was opened in the town of Soufriere. Soufriere was also the first community to have access to free Wi-Fi. Since then, new centres have been commissioned in Canaries and Vieux Fort.
According to the 2010 national census, the village of Anse La Raye had an internet penetration rate of 20.5 percent, making it the fifth worst community on the island for internet connectivity (after Canaries, Choiseul, Dennery and Soufriere).The Anse La Raye ICT access centre will provide residents of the village with an internet café, a fully equipped digital training room, and a Wi-Fi hotspot where residents will be able to access free broadband internet service.
“The islandwide ICT access centre program is part of a strategic approach by the government to use information technology to empower citizens, stimulate digital entrepreneurship, provide greater access to government services, and stimulate economic development,” Minister for the Public Service, Information and Broadcasting, Hon. James Fletcher, said.
There are plans to open similar new ICT access centres over the next four months in the communities of Garand, Babonneau; Monchy, Micoud village, Mongouge, Laborie, Saltibus, Grande Riviere, Dennery; Belomot, Dennery; La Maz, Daban, Fond St. Jacques, Belle Vue, Pierrot, Entrepot, Marchand, and Faux a Chaud, Castries.
