Paraquita Bay farmer blasts gov’t after losing crops
After losing 400 pounds of pumpkin due to unreliable water supply at Paraquita Bay, veteran farmer Movine Fahie has called for the current government to step down, saying they aren’t doing anything to improve agriculture in the territory.
Successive administrations have repeatedly promised to install a reliable source of water in Paraquita Bay, which is the agriculture hub of the territory.
Fahie said she has been appealing for help since 2017 but has seen no real progress. She said she lost pumpkins, tomatoes, eggplants, plantains and bananas, which her customers have been asking for.
“The Premier needs to step down! He’s a bunch of talk and nothing else. And [Dr Karl] Dawson … I don’t know, he ain’t ready for that seat either. We don’t have anybody that cares about agriculture. I don’t see anybody trying to do anything,” Fahie said. “Don’t care which government is in or out, it’s the same old thing.”
Fahie said she has been purchasing water to supply her farm, but said the size of her operation makes this unsustainable.
“I can’t afford to buy water, I don’t have a backyard garden, I have a farm. The little water I have in my tank cannot feed my farm,” Fahie said before adding that she is suffering and is about to give up.
Fahie also called on the Governor, saying it is time for him to step in amid the lack of support from the elected government.
“I’ve lost a lot of my money in farming. Even the Chief of Agriculture, he’s been there for seven years and he don’t achieve nothing,” Fahie said with much frustration.
Recently, Junior Minister for Agriculture Dr Karl Dawson went viral after publicly admitting that there is no formal plan to improve agriculture and fisheries in the territory.
Dr Dawson’s admission triggered much public discussion amid growing concerns that imported, processed foods may be contributing to lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and non-communicable diseases such as cancers.
BVI News reported Dr Dawson’s admission about the absence of an agriculture plan two weeks after he made the statement. After the news report was published, the government held a press conference days later, announcing that a formal plan would be ready this year.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
That is what you all got, now you must deal with it.Carl Dawson is u**less and i**pt when it comes to Agriculture. The Premier is another u**less i**pt that don’t know his A from his E. The only thing the Premier knows how to do well is party and travel first class and stay in first class hotels on the taxpayers money. Sorry for your crop loss miss.Maybe you should consider sending the bill to Carl Dawson and the Premier for the cost of your lost crop.
Why don’t she did a well, it is obvious that water will not be available, or she can negotiate a deal with seven seas water.
Your name fits you, with your craziness.
Sadly this is part of a much wider problem. The current administration is just lost and is floundering. For the good of the country and our future they need a total reset at the head. Sorry to say but the time for this premier is up.
Totally in agreement, time for the Premier to do everyone a favor and step down. Are we ready for 3 more years of the BS? He needs to do the right thing and vacate office ASAP for the benefit of the people and the Territory.
What she don’t go blast … !!
1. The socal Christian who building a apartment house on a farm
2. The big drug importer that playing Dr
Everyone knows but they wont tell.
Sorry to hear your cry. A report says that Mr Dawson was busy hosting fish fries and planning team work. This, after one year in office. Everyone was boasting that VIP was the only party with a manifesto (this was pure lies). If this was in the manifesto that the people voted for (fish fries and team work), the people just have to live with it. Sorrow.
Anyone can host a fish fry. Some of us is not dumb. Sometimes you have to play the dumb part to see exactly where a person is at. There are no plans for Agriculture so may as well get use to it. If there were, the squatters , yes I will call them squatters who is building apartments and homes on farming land would have been removed.
That is exactly what they are,ILLEGAL SQUATTERS ON GOVERNMENT FARM LAND. I AGREE, IF THERE WAS A PLAN FOR FARMING, ALL THE SQUATTERS AND WHATEVER THEY BUILD ON WHAT IS SUPPOSE TO BE FARM LAND WOULD HAVE BEEN REMOVED. They are not serious about farming just a bunch of talk.
Yet Natalio says he and his government are a big success story.
negative bvi news online which is bad and it detrimental to our peaceful islands. we are no longer nature’s little secret. our agricultural economy and the tourism economy and the quality and the standard of living and the marine environment is being threatened. bvi new online is very negative of the british virgin islands. is it the uk government fault? just asking questions. what is wrong with the bvi political leaders working together with the uk and british leaders for a better british virgin islands where human life and human survival is concerned.
I joshiah leeonard, you need to go and sit in a corner. If you running for the third and plan to sit in our house again then dem people from the 3rd is behind the eight ball bad.
Wasn’t this lady given a huge stimulus from Fahie? She suppose to use some of that 30 thousand to buy water
Several tanks, pumps, hose……
The whole country knows how the west treats this family.
maybe if you planted * WEED * that
might get their attention and get them energized because they only seems to interested in ( FREE JAMZ & WEED ) of you look at the way that country is being run that should send a message as to , who and what we are dealing with
the weed need water too else dem going dead lol
everybody in the world is laughing at the bvi and poking fun at the bvi and intimidating and ridiculing the bvi.
BVI People are too F**KING UNGRATEFUL! The NDP Government were trying their best and they were NEVER EVER this inept and horrible at running the country. You all sat back and listened to nonsense about rich people, island man etc. and elected a pack of regular street men/women, now you are shocked that they don’t know what the hell they’re doing? Voting has consequences, welcome to real life.
Let them all suck salt from salt island and drink water if they can find it. I always voted for NDP and thought they were doing a good job and I will continue to vote NDP. Correct if you may, didn’t someone MENTIONED VIP AS VERY INCOMPETENT PEOPLE? NEED I SAY MORE? THIS GOVERNMENT IS THE WORST OF THE WORST. FAILURE AT EVERY LEVEL/CORNER DON’T YOU THINK SO?
Also please don’t forget to thank Hon. Melvin Turnbull and Hon. Ronnie Skelton for their nasty behavior not once, but TWO TIMES which gave us the VIP administration to destroy the country. They were upset because Walwyn outplayed them in the NDP leadership elections. Everyone talking talking but do not forget these two men are responsible for giving us Andrew Fahie as Premier and the rest is history, do NOT forget!
Eileen Parson did not want Myron lead the party . She too is a sn**e That born her mentality is helping to kill the progress of the country
What you buy you wear.It’s the worse Govt.ever.No vision or peoples interest.Greedy bill is their concern.Bunch of criminals
It’s called dry land farming. We do it in the Texas panhandle where cotton, hay grazer, milo, etc hardly ever get rain. Try feeding cows when it doesn’t rain. People can’t afford crop insurance because it’s gotten to expensive. Stop crying and make do like the rest of the
farmers and make do with what you have.
@ hmmmm you so so personal. The woman is a doctor.
I had some sympathy for the lady until I read she go a $30000 stimulus. She has been buying water, but apparently not enough. So does she expect government to supply FREE WATER or is she willing to pay for a steady supply, if that isnt an oxymoron?
The country is falling by the way and headed backwards at an excessive rate.
For the sake or lack of effective leadership, the BVI is falterring.
We knew what we had with the NDP,we just didn’t realize that out of the two, it was better.
Today, it would seem that anentire new,progressive, people and nation building party needs to be formed and brought onstream.
The lies and miseducation that the VIP used to bamboozle. the weaklings political. minds were an examle of the nastiest forms of psychological political campaigning ever in the BVI. Couple with excessive religiosity, it was anexample of political hypocrisy with an aim towin the money, power and prestige.
Now, the head got caught. God do not like deception in his name. The NDP on the other had, has lost its impetus and strong mental and. political leadership.
The VIP is very weak in leadership,strong in corruption and remains laser fcsed on self enrichment.
Hence, the time has come fora fresh start..
A new party is needed yesterday.
An Government already has Thousands and Thousands of gallons of water it has paid for but does not use. Leaders of VI are nonsense.
The Government care more about managing politics than the policy that would benefit the people. I pray for the Farmers.
them why people will sure make good use of that land since you don’t know what you doing
I don’t understand her complaint. As a private business, it is her responsibility to provide water to her own farm?
Why is she putting the blame on the government to supply water to her private farm? Why is she demanding the Premier resign or blaming the Agriculture Minister for poor crop? What kind of logic is this?
Sorry, this is misplaced anger and a sense of entitlement.
It is her responsibility as a private farmer to secure water. Dig a well, pay for water, catch water or whatever needs to be done to supply her farm.
If she does not have the money to do so, she can consider getting a loan to purchase water or dig a well. If all else fails, she can close her farm or sell it.
Too many people looking to the government to fix all their needs. I’m not sympathetic here at all.
I don’t feel sorry for her or could care less. She received a big stimulus check. If people run out of bathroom tissue they want the Government to supply them with bathroom tissue.
cant buy water when none is flowing from the tap…
1. Does she PAY for water @ Pari?
2. If she has such a big farm and knows there is a water problem as a business woman and to protect her investment, why hasnt she invested in a few water tanks and PAY to have water truck to her farm as back up? This water problem did not start aafter she planted her pumpkins.
3. What percentage of her earnings from her farm foes she give back to the Govt/Agriculture? Govt gets nothing back from her private business on FREE crown land.
4. Does she complain when she deprives the other farmers at Pari from getting water to their farms by messing with the water distribution lines?
5. $30K in stimulus and no improvements to her farm but apartments were added.
Ole people use to say “its not the Cow that is always bawling is the one that wants water”. How the pumpkin spoil and still on the market?
If she really understood the government she would have told them she planned to hold a concert on her farm and needed water for the toilets . Then she would get the water.
but plants need water so if you know there was a water problem why plant there?
To me this is like complaining that the government don’t pay the electricity bill for your business. The farm is generating money yes? Why is it the government responsibility to provide free water? If you apply this logic to anything else nobody would even be paying attention to this.
That land easily has a five to ten well potential fron the road half way in alone.
The leadership has been and still is of this country that is doing nothing but mis-leading, corrupting, self enriching and down trodding the counrty little food source.
A most shameful government ever. They went in to self enrich, build mansions and huge. bank accounts. They got left footed, but they still on track to leave this country broke.
You need to go on Cindy show. Join forces with Cindy you and she will get along good. She can’t like men. She can’t stand the voice of a man but do not be bias. Both Lorna and Dawson are useless empty Vessels. I like Cindy but lord man she is too over protective of Tiffany that left our Corner that even her good friend Pope she insulting..
isn’t this the same lady that built a Permanent concrete structure on the same Government farm land?Premier said he was going to look in to it, I guess he is still doing sooo…..
some of us dont have water to bathe after work mom, muchless farm
Well missy, you received enough of the stimulus money where you could have paid to have a WELL BUILT ON YOUR PROPERTY. POOR PUMPKINS HAD TO TAKE THE LICK FOR YOUR NEGLIGENCE.
You guys said drain the swamp now you’re thirsty and mad at the mud? Carry on…
If you stop going in the early morning and cutting off all of we other farmers water line you will get water too.
She selling Food Right ? No hand out again sorry grow what you can water
More so.. grow WHERE you can water
What ya’ll worried about? We have Alkaline and Gramps Morgan coming to perform on the muddy lands behind the Admin Complex. PARTY PARTY PARTY, who needs water????? Let the mo**erf**ker burrrnnn…The Territory has worst to get, this is what happens when we play stupid games with our future.
I would really appreciate it if you stop using my screen name. I’ve noticed you have been using my screen for a couple of days. KNOW WHAT? You can keep the screen name that you stole as your own. From now on, THE REAL LOL NEW SCREEN NAME WILL BE LOL@.
Subsidize the expenses, pocket the profit? Oh yeah
de a** dem drained the swamp now dem dying of thirst. Dem drain de swamp and now have no brains left to even dig a well, when deades all en knew how to dig wells in a day.
Backwards we done gone.
Allegedly it have farmers building permanent concrete structures on the ‘farmland’ address all of that before giving anybody any free water.
Whether you drink od eat it , nis not my business / what I said is , if
she plant weed , it get their attention and energized ,( it means to supply the lady with water for her vegetables ) this government and the cuban of the ndp government does not seems to care about feeding themselves , only ( THE HOLY WEED )while we here spewing out RACISM and we are still dependant on the white colonialist food and we small down our Caribbean brothers and sisters ( ISLAND PEOPLE ) who produce tons of healthy vegetables to feed themselves export . and we even get some here too ( no offence ) read and comprehend
And put a meter on the line / the woman is industrious , compare to the crackheads who rob and kill to satisfy their drug habit seems to be a better idea / to outsiders watch how we treat our own , so don’t expect to be treated any better , all the secrets that is swept under the rug , is being exposed , girl you are getting a taste of what them island people is experiencing , you does produce healthy looking vegetables so keep up the good work and don’t let them jealous hypocrites stress you out , you may have to cut back on the amount you plant this is life and we all only live once , stand firm
Don’t forget the family, friends and lovers
The Director always bragging about the changes he has made
Perhaps you grew these not ar Pariquita Bay
Neglict and photo shop
Always shooting picture . He should send around this on the chats he has
We going from worse to worst
“Wasn’t this lady given a huge stimulus from Fahie?”
She is one of the most active & long standing farmers and do you see her age? CmON!
She cant buy water over and over again ofcourse the cash will dry up. Also no they are not interested in weed or they would have come back to the house with another bill by now that the governor would favor.
Im starting to think they was only interested in cannabis bills when the investor was involved and remember the farmers were to get 5%… ok.
Where was the other 95% to go huh?
@lol just roll with it.
One misconception people have is they do not know there are already multiple wells in paraquita bay!
Government has leased the lands to the farmers and obviously should do their part to make the wells & pumps functional or what ever is causing water to run on a schedule.
the water pressure drops and the farmers get no water unexpectedly.
Its like your land lord not fixing stuff when it breaks.
it is people insulting embarrassing humiliating and degrading and putting down other people. it is people committing slander and libel and defamation of character towards other people. it is people laughing teasing mocking scorning ridiculing other people. it is people harassing and provoking other people.
This lady complains too much. She allegedly had houses on the land at paraquita bay renting and she cannot buy a tank and set it up to get water for her farm? God sends rain not Government. When he sends it make sure you catch it for your use.
We know that government is not doing anything yet we sit with our hands in our laps waiting.