Dominica Agriculture News

Newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Colin McIntyre has promised to give his new ministry the attention needed to move Dominica forward and one of the ways to achieve such goal is to continue towards the process of diversification.

McIntyre called on farmers to diversify a little more. He said diversification was carried out but it was slow in terms of acceptance and it took farmers some time to move away from bananas. However over the years a lot of farmers have gone into other crops like avocados, coconut, coffee and citrus fruits, McIntyre said.

"The average Dominican has a backyard where they grow fruits and provisions, which go toward sustaining their families and household but in terms of serious agriculture there is a lack & In Dominica we can produce a lot. We are called the Nature Island of the Caribbean and we are very strong environmentally," he said.

The newly appointed Minister looked at industries such as coffee and advised that it was time farmers take a serious look at it and try to develop a niche market.

Additionally, Dominicas coffee according to McIntyre is one of the finest in the Caribbean and maybe the world.

Our coffee is of very good quality in terms of flavour and I would like to see us move the coffee industry and move further into agro processing of the coffee & there is still a shortage of coffee, he said.

McIntyre looked at the citrus industry as another area of diversification but claimed that the industry has been plagued with different viruses over the years.

These viruses are destroying the industry and the Ministry of Agriculture has been doing all it can to minimise the problem through various programmes and workshops, but if something is not done to stop the viruses, in the next three to four years we would have serious problems, he added.

Many persons believe however that agriculture has taken the second place and tourism seems to be the front-runner in terms of economic boost.

Dr. McIntyre doesnt believe that this is true. According to him, while the tourism industry is really doing well, agriculture is going to be number one.

Tourism is doing a lot and I am happy & anything that will build Dominica I am happy towards that, he said.

The two industries should complement each other, noted Dr. McIntyre. He further explained that one must never forget that apart from the sale of the agricultural products generally, agriculture also feeds the nation. He said Dominicans feed on the ground provisions and the fruits grown by farmers. Agriculture is still the main thing and I would like to see the production of wholesome foods for locals and tourists, he noted.

But in order for diversification to be successful many things must be taken into consideration. Areas such as transportation play a major role in diversification and proper roads as well, in order for someone to access their garden and carry equipment and food to and from the farms, proper roads must be priority. It is for this reason that the Government continues to seek further funding for road works already started and those in the pipeline, added Dr. McIntyre.

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