Action time for Farmers and Fishers in the Recovery Efforts
“Action time”, says Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Saboto Caesar in a speech to stimulate the interest of farmers and fishers to actively participate in the national Food Production Recovery Campaign.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is seeking eligible candidates to form a part of the national food production recovery team.
Hon. Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Labour, noted that all persons seeking and are available for employment, with CXC passes in Agriculture and Biology, Technical College certificates in Agriculture, diploma level, bachelors, masters and PhDs in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry should participate in the week of registration taking place at the Ministry of Agriculture Headquarters in Kingstown from Tuesday 30th July.
“It is of first importance that the children of the education revolution get an opportunity to showcase their abilities in the rebuilding process,” he emphasized.
The Minister further noted that 200 workers will form a part of a Farm Labour supply programme and a community outreach programme was started to collect names of persons interested in providing farm labour services in the recovery programme.
“Persons with the skills to repair small engines will play a vital role in the recovery of the fisheries sector. The plan is to have a central location where the support will be provided to fix engines damaged by the Hurricane,” the Minister emphasized.
The assessment of damage and loss is expected to be completed before the end of this week and the full rollout of the implementation phase of the recovery initiative is planned to begin on August 2nd. The first payment of Income support is scheduled for the end of the month of August. Farmers and Fishers will begin to receive direct production support during the month of August. The Direct Production Support aspect of the project is anticipated to last until December 2024. Fisheries and Crop Recovery facilitators will be placed across the country to ensure the smooth implementation of the $22M Supplementary Estated 2024 allocation for Agriculture.
Experts from the regional will also be participating in the recovery efforts and the Minister has made special mention of Steve Maximay a Climate Change Expert in the region and Professor Wayne Ganpat of the University of the West Indies who is in discussion on providing strategic support as it relates to extension services.
“The national campaign will also engage faith based organizations, community based organizations, co-operatives, non-governmental organizations, and individual volunteers in a national alliance to rebuild better. The month of August is going to be a very busy one for all in food production,” the Minister concluded.
