My crops are dying! Paraquita Bay farmer says water woes never fixed
Prominent local farmer Moviene Fahie has said there is still no access to water for farmers in Parquita Bay and has accused Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley of lying about addressing the problem when he was still Agriculture Minister.
Speaking on ZBVI, Fahie said she and other farmers at Paraquita Bay have been suffering at the hands of the current government. However, she retains some hope that as Premier, Dr Wheatley will solve the water crisis and bring some relief for the territory’s farmers.
“All our crops get dry up and we don’t have a job. So, the governor needs to step into that because we don’t have anybody care for the farmers. The Chief Agriculture Officer (Director of Agriculture & Fisheries, Theodore James) that guy is only there. He do not have an agriculture degree. He don’t have no kind of knowledge. He don’t come meet the farmers. He don’t come see what our problem is. I think that guy needs to be out of the position and stop waste the taxpayers’ money and put somebody there who will look out for the farmers,” farmer Fahie stated.
Fahie said the Paraquita Bay issue is not with the access to water but rather incompetency by the government. She recalled a better time when a now deceased former Premier was in office.
“When Mr Ralph O’Neal was in, we never had this problem. He [Dr Wheatley] don’t want to solve the issue cause all he was thinking about was the marijuana [legislation]. Maybe when he had get his marijuana and everything come in we would have get the water. But that man don’t care about agriculture. He killed my dream of doing agriculture in the BVI,” Fahie said.
Dr Wheatley had promised a reservoir would have been built above Paraquita Bay to alleviate the water challenges, but Fahie maintains that there a simplier fix.
“We don’t see the reservoir [he promised], but the thing is we don’t need to wait for a reservoir to be built in Paraquita Bay. We have 20 wells up here full of water if they wanted to use them. All we need is a pump and get them wells clean and get action start. We don’t need to wait to get a reservoir, and everybody done dead in the BVI. We need to move now because the whole world is hurting now with all kinds of disease. But there is no food in the BVI. What them going to feed themselves with?” Fahie questioned. “They need to get serious. Wheatley was a joke when he arrived in the Agriculture Department.”
With Shereen Flax-Charles being assigned the Agriculture portfolio under the new National Unity Government, Fahie is cautiously hopeful for a solution.
Firstly, Fahie said she would like to see Flax-Charles personally visit the area and connect with the farmers.
“She (Flax-Charles) just step in but I don’t know what she going do. But right now, people are dying and if you come up here and see the amount of my crops done fall down. We don’t have nobody care ’bout us. So, I hope she hurry up and come out here to see what is happening with the farmers cause if they don’t do it, it seems we have to get the governor to control it,” Fahie said.
She noted all the farmers are feeling the effects of the neglect by the government.
“I think they want all of our stuff to dead out so they can move in and do what they want,” Fahie said.
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She is too greedy…allegedly she got free land and her son got free land also and now she want free water?
I got one ting for her with your self about about “I donts cares’. She greedy, miserable and a h***ful and entitled b.
When in God’s Name will this government institute the Proud legislation that has been passed in the HoA that is the Virgin Islands Food Security and Sustainability Bill? We need to get the Authority going mannnnn!!!!
My husband is a goat farmer in the same area. The water problem is real. I imagine the farmers would be happy to pay for water. They just need access to it!
How long will this go on? It seems like you guys might have to pad up and finish run pipes to your farms? The government’s over the years have been playing games with the people.
Man ayo hook up ayo own water and pay ayo own bill
And the same government still in control under a new name! Really!
well why don’t all the farmers buy a pump and pump from the 20 wells it is your business and if you want it to sucessed then you need to work for it and stop blaming the government for something that you have even said their is a solution too. Clean the wells and pump out the water it really is that simple.
Or, come up with LEGIT plan and costs to get the water and request Gov’t to subsidize it with the members of the Paraquita Bay Farmers putting in the rest! Then your crops wouldn’t have to die!
She want everything free too damn greedy
She wants everything free and her produce is the most expensive. She sells to supermarkets and they resell at a lower cost than hers.
This damn wicked woman so greedy she wants everything free
Isnt that the same culprit who built apartments on the government farm land?
Yes she built and rent on the Government land and you cannot owe she as much as a dollar.
IT TOOK IRMA TO COME AND SEE SHE MOVIENE WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CULPRITS …
SHES ONE OF THE GREEDY FARMERS IN PARAQUITA BAY. I NEED THE GOVERNMENT TO SUSPEND FROM BEING OVER IN PIER PARK, SET THAT JACKA** FREE WITH NEGATIVITY WE DONT NEED HER OVER THERE AT ALL.
What a family, Farmer for food, Doctor for drugs, teacher for embalming. Ms. Fahie – Put your own house in order before you can think about solving our countries problems
Let’s not forget the pastor from the M******** church that was and still is a drug addict, had an affair on his wife, got an outside child, continuously rob families through their time of grief and the list goes on.
You are out of place.
@Pastor Right
One of the best thing about these online blog comments is those moments when you think you know who is behind the comments. I am posting FACTS, you are so deep in FEELINGS! It is also a FACT that sometimes folks get bold because they can hide and be keyboard brave and face to face spineless! In my original post, where is the lie? Examine the post and the family, Mother is a farmer, the point of the article, Son is a doctor, dont doctors deal drugs? Daughter is a teacher and an embalmer these are facts! Can anyone deny them? Your sad and transparent attempt to answer truth with attacks proves the point in totality, one should have there house in order before trying to repair someone elses house.
Enjoy your day and I will be smiling and drinking water, thinking on this when you pass me at work tomorrow.
About an hour ago, my phone started blowing up with messages and calls and screenshots from folks asking me if I had seen what’s posted online in response to an article that one of my employees brought to my attention.
I have now seen it, I have now read it. I thank all those well meaning people who brought it to my attention. I wondered if I should respond and if I do, how should I respond?
Then I got a visit that sort of summed it all up for me, more on that later. Let me make it real easy for whomever wrote @Pastor Right
My name is Robert Martin Wright Jr aka “Storm” I don’t reply to the online blogs but when I do, I sign my real, whole, complete, birth name. I feel that if you can say it about someone you can say it to someone.
I did not in any way shape form or fashion write any previous post concerning the article in question, as I stated earlier the article was bought to my attention through one of my employees.
Some of the things stated in the response under the title @ Pastor Right do resemble some of the stops along the way that my life has taken, but I believe that I can tell my own story better then anyone else so permit me if you will to help the author out
I am not now nor have I ever been an addict, although I was a low level street dealer for a time back in the day on the streets of Brooklyn New York. I have never in any way shape form or fashion dealt with drugs from the time that I set foot in the BVI in 1995. I am total willing if the writer cares to reveal themselves to pay for both of us to be drug tested and the blood will speak.
The writer bravely under cover of a hidden name accuses me of having an affair on my wife. They should have added an s to the word affair. I have had affairs, One of whom resulted in a child (I don’t believe in words like outside – step etc ) That child of that affair is now 23 years old with a child of her own – I own the sin committed then but I stand as a Father and Grandfather of all my children. My name is on the birth certificate and all my children know who their father is. To the writer please don’t think that anything that you say publicly is a surprise to my wife, my children or my church as I have shared my life testimony both publically and privately, you can talk about it, my family and I have lived through it, I have confessed it to my church family, I wouldn’t trade my truth for your version of outside looking in lies.
As to my business, we have tried our best to serve the community and we have not raised prices in ten years. No business is perfect but we do our best to serve and I can assure you that we get more compliments then criticisms (Although I do hear both).
The author wrote and the list goes on, looking back over my life I don’t know whats left on whatever list that your keeping.
Can I give you some free advice, the best thing that you can do for your life is LIVE FREE. Free from past sins and peoples opinions and yesterdays errors. I encourage you to soldier on until the victory is won!
By the way A guy that I was in prison with just brought his son to see me, I will sign out and leave you in the state that I found you in, truly I have things to do!
Thanks for that clarification !!! I always believe people should indeed put yourself out there and clarify stuff !!! I never believe in “Oh let people say what they want to say” as this can ruin your reputation and future endeavors that you might be pursuing !!! Because the public has no interest in knowing the truth, they just want juicy topic and they run gone with it !!! Butttttt someone said you was cold to their loved one deaths, i can vouge for that tho, my mom passed, $300 in my pocket, no family members around me, and all I saw was a stiff face and figures pelting at me while tears running down my face. Dont take this the wrong way, you are a business man, but I seriously believe you need to have a person on staff who will deal with persons like me. Normally when a relative die, you have a whole entourage of distant families who can help the close relatives with funeral set up, but for people who have to be daughter, organizer, funds producer, Im seriously wondering how i haven’t gone crazy to this day !!!!! So You seriously need a grief person who can deeply sympathize with a grieving person, and also give them tips and try to help them out as much as they can with arrangements !!! Its not all about Money Mr Storm !!!
Wow, sorry about your loss and what you had to go through.
I wonder how much of her funds from sales of her crops are paid in to Government Treasury? My guess is $0.00. A pump is not that expensive. Buy one for the well that is closest to your farm and problem solved.
Is this same farmer got around 8 plots of land for free up Paraquita? Farmers at PB need to put some skin in the game.
Well, we hear your woes. But where is all the money Fahie gave to farmers? Why not get together and make it happen? Is your business.
The agriculture yearly fair days used to be fun to see all the vegetable fruits , fish an more that people actually planted in the natural ground. I do not like certain food from a supermarket, I rather purchase local or grow my own.
In 2015, I apply for two acres of land to raise my goats and sheep, however the person responsible at the time ignore the letter. I went to his office and was told they will get back to me, such a diplomatic lie.
I would love to have a fruit and vegetable forest, so people can get natural food raised in natural air and water, not what is imported. Lettuce and others from a water bed, no soil. Fish raised in a big bowl by the hundreds, while raising chickens above. I know some countries only export second level food to the Caribbean which are label “for Export Only” and kept the best for their population.
I am starting to think that the previous government is perhaps in co hoots with the Supermarket owners, so the support is delayed, become delinquent and no ears are giving to the farmers. No meeting to listen to the concerns, no five years plan, and no one can sit in that position of director of agri. and not call a meeting with the farmers it sends a bad message of foolery. Its like tricking you self to think others known you do not care or know very little of agriculture.
Ms Agri minister please call a meeting with the farmers as the rain season is also upon us and the vegetables plant would be in a stage of replanting. Get someone to chair a meeting , so you can create action plan to help the farmers.
There are more people needing land to plant, I cannot eat marijuana I like butter nut squash, tomatoes, avocado and lots of amaranth vegetables , onion , garlic and more.
We need farmers who is passionate about the vegetables & grains, flowers, fruits (pineapple) and more, but are not giving the land to do so. Please start a giving the land to help a health local food supply, they are farmers who are not doing anything with the land they were giving since Irma, if they loose the passion give it to someone who do, until your passion regain.
Please support the fishermen for the Mahi, & mackerel fish and others small fishermen. Everyone has to eat, but not everyone is passionate about farming and fishing. HELP!
Didn’t she and her son gotten huge stimulus packages from the head coach ???
continues. No water then no crops then no food then no peace then no tourists then no investors then no development then no infrastructure then no education then no economy then no jobs then no UK help then no more BVI.
She is very disrespectful dont have no customer service i went humbly to her stall to make purchase and base on how she behaved i was so embarrass i walked away and never ever go back to her even if she is the only food supplier i rather die from hunger
Yes, I’ve witnessed her being rude and hoggish on several occasions
opens her mouth st**id comes out.
She cannot even put … but always has the most to say.
She has so much negative to say about the Government, past and present and still expects help.
Buy a pump and get the water for your garden. The Government gave you a horse, now you want them to give you a rider.
Come on. Have a conscience woman.
Mr Excellence…My people tax money,they got. Fishermen /women. Framers etc. really ,,,,,she got ,now she crying foul…..No !!!!!!!they get money.if had only known,I was going too put my self in this scam to?…Take over BvI pleaseeeeeee!!!!!!!!!
THEY SAY IF YOU BORN YA ,YOU ARD ENTITLED / MAYBE SHE NEEDS TO FORGET ABOUT AGRICULTURAL FOOD AND PLANT WEED ONLY / THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD OF HAD A REAL SOPHISTICATED GREENHOUSE / FARM IN PARAQUITA WHICH WOULD OF HAD MANY PEOPLE EMPLOYED THERE , BEFORE TALKING ABOUT INDEPENDENCE
@powerful. What embalming means. You said teacher form embalming
If you really love what you’re doing, you can use that enormous sum of money Andrew give you to remedy the water problem…
Agriculture is now. Get it fixed!!!
The little man with the hat had a plan for us to get water but nobody listen. Only when he come up here we get water. It so sad we have to suffer so.
them say he ain’t straight
This hogish woman is running a business, she need water figure it out and pay for it, it is not the tax payers responsibility to pay for your business
Yes alot of bulls**t going on in the bvi…,really food is very important especially when it comes to home grown naturally perfect for our bodies ,… u mean to tell me this system we have here going wait till more s**t hit the FAN to realize issss the ground we got to focus on to keep living what if food have to stop importing to the bvi starting from today??
She needs to shut up and learn ttu o speak properly. She still making reference to Chief Minister office.