Not pure talk! Tangible progress made for farmers, Premier says
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has insisted that his government’s work in the agricultural sector has experienced real progress. And despite setbacks, Dr Wheatley said his government is ready to deliver on promises for increased agricultural production.
When challenged at a press conference recently about his rhetoric and why farmers still appeared to be suffering even after years of promises, Premier Wheatley, who previously served as the Minister for Agriculture, said he has been frustrated along the way by “bureaucratic processes”.
“I would disagree that it’s just pure talk. Certainly, we’ve made a lot of tangible progress over the past three years,” Premier Wheatley said.
“You know, we have processes – we have a budgeting process, you have legal processes – you have all types of other bureaucratic processes that take time. I would like to see these things happen much more quickly, but unfortunately this is where we are,” the Premier explained.
He said it is therefore the duty of elected official to push to streamline processes and make them more effective and more efficient.
The Premier further argued that it is not just elected officials that have to make government work more efficiently.
“We need the public service as well — which is led by the governor — to ensure that we streamline processes, make them less bureaucratic so that we can deliver for the people,” Premier Wheatley shared.
We brought back the fair
In the meantime, the Premier sought to highlight a number of accomplishments by his government in the sector, expressing happiness that the Agriculture Fair had returned after being away for some years. He promised an even bigger event in future.
According to the Premier, the Water and Sewage Department (WSD) has also made some real efforts to get farmers water, particularly in the Paraquita Bay area.
“They (WSD) ran a whole new pipe from the Sabbath Hill Reservoir, from the Spring Ghut area down to Paraquita Bay to help farmers get water there,” Dr Whealtey said.
Prior to this, the Premier explained, farmers were given free water from a cistern. He also noted that this cistern will eventually be used by the sewerage treatment plant.
The Premier also pointed to the development of a water policy by his government, and insisted that the long-talked-about reservoir promised by his government will materialise.
“We’ve identified the resources to make the reservoir happen,” he stated.
The Premier further assured that an amended money services bill that was passed in the House of Assembly (HOA) recently had an allocation of $1.9 million for the agriculture and fisheries sector.
Dr Wheatley said this amount will allow the government to procure the long-promised reservoir and to start rebuilding the agriculture and fisheries complex destroyed in the hurricanes five years ago.
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Stop all this nonsense please. Let the market dictate what business can survive and make money.
There are many other things that need attention. No medical equipment in that empty Virgin Gorda hospital. Broken down schools. Roads in need of repairs. Old desel generators.
There are only a few farmers in the BVI. They make they own money by figuring out how to grow and sell. This handout is just a waste of money – just you trying to buy votes.
Though the COI was planning on getting back some of that other farmers/fishers money. Just wait, you will be crowing about that in a few weeks….
and up to yet can’t yield aby fruits
and up to yet can’t yield any fruits
ARE YOU RELATED TO THE GREAT CUBAN / OR THE RODEO MAN , WHO PREFER THE WEED ????
Sl** Wande is speaking from the other end (as usual). It boils down to money and being able to acquire resources that are now at a premium given other jurisdiction’s own obligations to their ppl. Will USA or UK sell us vital farming equipment and in the case of UK give us access to farm grants/ loans. How about the CDB? Nope to unlikely. They have their own worries. It may take Sl** Wande until next year to figure it out, but he will eventually. You can trust him to do that
Not even the talk is pure. Election please come. The marijuana exporting was pure or impure talk? The plans for fishing was pure or impure talk? You are a pure waste of time.
I suggest the gentleman stops patting himself on the back, the territory desperately needs modern healthcare, education, roads / infrastructure and sewage disposal systems that do not discharge into the sea. The only way this will happen is if the UK comes in and takes control, attends to these projects with funding that can be repaid over a period of time. The BVI has earned billions of dollars over the last 30 years, which, a competent government could have easily address these needs, but, they did not, and, will not if left to their own devices.
People this Premier is a s**ke he wants to have farmers week because he is convinced if it doesn’t happens he won’t be voted back in.
Real progress, tangible things. Then journalist need to stop printing these things. I believe I need to go ask them people at the university to give me back my money for them degrees them give to me. Because I am learning new meaning of words now that I should have learnt in Primary School.
Last year just before I travel I saw a tractor digging a piece of land where bi water build that water thing. I wish if I had that piece a land to plant , because all I see when I return is bush, weed, and some white sheep eating it at times. That’s tangible! I can see it, touch it ,identify it.
Mr. Premier, stop it now , cut all this red tapes and laws and regulations and polices, it don’t grow no food pari let’s get this thing together. For me I cannot eat most of this food that is imported in this country. I have twelve sugar apple trees, I love them it good for me,eighteen bananas tree, 29 papaws tree,tomatoes,spinach,chili and corns and some other stuff. If I don’t plant I cannot eat, or give to my neighbor,friends or church members, or donate to the old folks home. I do it for my daily food and its good therapy.
The imported food is bad for me , tomatoes scratch my tongue, apple make me cough profusely, lettuce is a waste it give me the belly. I have to have my Virgin island food, give me cassava bread, my sugar apple and everything that is natural. So hurry up with all this agri paper work and let’s do this thing, young and old together will carry on this tradition of eat what you grow. At least you know where it come from.