Agriculture
Dominica to make maximum use of EU banana funds
Agricultural officials here say Dominica is positioning itself to make maximum use of funds being made available to ten banana-exporting nations by the European Union. The European Commission’s BAM (Banana Accompanying Measures) programme’s funding of 190 million Euros is intended to provide additional development assistance to help the countries involved adjust to new market conditions, following the erosion of the preferential market access that was previously enjoyed by the Africa Caribbean Pacific (ACP) group of countries in Europe. Dominica expects to receive during 2012 and 2013, between 14 and 15.5 million Euros from the programme. Director of Agriculture Ricky Brumant says under the BAM arrangement, Dominica will seek to make its banana production and exports more competitive, while focusing on other areas of agriculture as well.
Edison James goes after Matthew Walters
James (left), Walters United Workers Party (UWP) leader Edison James has hit out at Agriculture Minister Matthew Walters, charging that the minister “does not understand the essentials of proper planning for production and marketing of agricultural crops”. The UWP leader has taken issue with the minister’s “boastful statement” that there is an over production of certain root crops and plantains at this time. “There is over production where a crop is produced which the farmer is unable to sell or to market,” James said in a statement pointing out that a major role of the Ministry, under the direction and control of Mr. Walters, is to ensure that production volumes are linked with markets.
Bernard Wiltshire gets bail
Dominica’s former attorney general Bernard Wiltshire has been placed on EC$50,000.00 bail after he was arrested on Monday January 30, 2012 by the police. Late last year, Wiltshire who has since filed a civil law suit against the police and government for false imprisonment and arrest, was detained by the police for questioning after he had endorsed a passport form in the name of Younis Abraham. He is now jointly charged with Harolda Henry of Grand Bay, Lyndon Marie and Nash Mitchell for conspiracy to fraudulently obtain a Commonwealth of Dominica passport. Henry is an employee of the Dominica Planned Parenthood Association (DPPA) and was granted bail of EC$50,000.00 with her boss Willie Fevrier as surety
Haiti – two years after the catastrophe
Haiti wasn’t always “the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere”, though it is almost impossible to read about the country today without coming across that phrase. In the two (2) years since the devastating earthquake, Haiti has experienced political conflict and its first ever cholera epidemic; hundreds of thousands of the displaced are still living in make-shift tents strewn like dusty flags along the sides of highways. It is easy to forget that, for most of the 19th century, the country was a site of agricultural innovation, productivity and economic success.
Edison James wants a ‘rebranding of Dominica’
James Newly elected political leader of the United Workers Party (UWP), Edison James’ strategy for the party includes what he is describing as the ‘rebranding of Dominica.’ Speaking on Q95′s ‘Matt in the Morning’ James said that the proposed rebranding includes “a state where people are decent, a decent society of decent people making decent livelihood through decent means and enjoying a decent quality of life.” According to James, in such a society ‘all must benefit’ and not just a few. He said someone mentioned to him that Dominica is in a situation where there is a team “but only the captain is scoring.” “But we want a situation where the team is scoring,” he stated. “So that even when the captain doesn’t score, the team wins.” James said the issue of unemployment must be addressed and agriculture could provide an avenue to address it.
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