Over 25,000lbs of White Potatoes Projected for Harvest

DOMINICA:  The Ministry of Agriculture is anticipating over 25,000 pounds of white potatoes in this season’s harvest.
In December 2015, the Ministry of Agriculture received 1100 bags of Elite white potato seeds sponsored by the PROPEL organization.
These seeds, according to the Hon. Minister for Agriculture Johnson Drigo, were rapidly purchased by farmers for the 2016 season.
In an interview with the Hon Minister on Wednesday, April 6^th, he gave an update.
“For the period March to May 2016, we will be harvesting, for the local market, 118 tonnes of white potato; this is equivalent 259,600 pounds. This is a record year for us.”
He continued, “I want to thank the farmers engaged in the production of white potato especially the farmers in the Calibishie area. They are new to the white potato project. This means that we will be importing very little potatoes for 2016 since we are able to produce a significant amount of what we will be consuming this year.”
The Minister says the main aim of the Ministry of Agriculture is to increase local consumption of local foods.
“This speaks well for the sector. Our mission is to ensure that our local consumers increase their consumption of local products. This will certainly decrease the huge food import bill. We are only are we working to cut down meat importation but we are rapidly working on the other areas of agriculture imports…as long as we can produce it locally. We are asking our consumers to continue buying local. Continue supporting the agriculture sector.”
He assures that the local produce will get a fair chance on the local market.
“There is a tariff structure in place to limit the importation of potatoes during the local peak season. The Ministry of Trade and the business community are familiar with the structure which comes into play every year.”