‘Opposition Leader should be ashamed to talk about agriculture’

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr Natalio Wheatley has hit back at Opposition Leader Marlon Penn saying he should be ashamed to talk about agriculture because his party the NDP did nothing to improve the sector when they were in government.

Speaking recently on the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) radio programme ‘Let’s Talk’, Dr Wheatley said that when he heard some of the issues being discussed by the Opposition Leader, he wondered if Penn had no shame.

Dr Wheatley said just as the NDP had neglected the territory’s sewerage issues during its time in office, they failed to pay attention to the agriculture and fisheries sector.

“We had some greenhouses and whether you agree or disagree with the greenhouses, the late great Omar Hodge gave you greenhouses and the greenhouses sat there, and they sat there. It has to be for a good six years, and the hurricanes took them out. I think a good six million dollars went down the drain,” Dr Wheatley said.

He mentioned that outside of the greenhouses, nothing happened with the industry under the previous administration. Dr Wheatley said when he took office, he met several challenges.

“I didn’t see any attempt to solve them and way before the hurricanes, the agriculture exhibition was stopped. Almost like it was a waste of money and then the Fisherman’s Day at Beef Island was stopped way before the storms,” Dr Wheatley said.

The minister said after the hurricanes when the previous administration was giving out assistance, it was said that fisherfolks and farmers were of the lowest priority.

“So, if I were members of the Opposition, I would be afraid, I would be embarrassed and ashamed to criticize anything to do with agriculture,” the Agriculture and Fisheries Minister continued.

Dr Wheatley noted he will be taking the Food Security and Sustainability Bill to the House of Assembly today. And once passes, it is going to revolutionise the agricultural sector in the territory, he stated.

The minister said outside of the bill, there are other accomplishments that his ministry can point out. Dr Wheatley said Health Minister Carvin Malone had visited a local agriculture facility and the government was able to give them a lease to expand its poultry production.

The Agriculture Minister said his ministry has identified poultry as an area of great value and more investment can lead to lesser imports.

Meanwhile, Malone, who also appeared on the radio programme with Dr Wheatley said he has taken a keen interest in what has been happening with the sector under the minister’s direction and the initiatives he has undertaken to improve it.

“We know that we have some land issues still, we came we met them, and they will be solved but the fact is they existed and there is a legal route which is not as quick, as fast, as efficient in terms of getting it done,” Malone said.

The Health Minister said whether it is poultry farming, the pig farm in Virgin Gorda or the sheep farm, these operations must be encouraged and they have been encouraged and supported by the government.

“The challenges existed before, and we are solving them one by one. We will get them solved. Even the food security bill coming forward, it will help with this,” Malone added.