School Agri-business project breaks ground

A project which seeks to develop entrepreneurs in the agriculture sector was launched on Thursday, March 25, at the St Clair Dacon Secondary School.{{more}}

Four schools: the Georgetown Government School, the St Clair Dacon Secondary, Calder Government and Stephanie Brown Government (Union Island) have been selected for the pilot phase of the schools co-operative agri-business project.

Students of each of these schools’ will be involved in poultry farming, as they acquire skills that will enable them to develop an entrepreneurial spirit.

Lennox Bowman, General Manager of the Government Employees Cooperative Credit Union (GECCU), made the point as he outlined the objectives of the project.

“We are not saying that every person in this project will become an entrepreneur, but at least if one becomes that, then we would have done well,” Bowman explained.

The project is also geared towards getting students to think about viable means of creating employment within the agriculture sector.

“The Agriculture sector has suffered many attacks. However, it remains a viable sector,” Desiree Lewis, of the Ministry of Agriculture, said.

The idea of meat production is but one way in which the Ministry is attempting to get persons involved and sees the project as a positive one in giving students an early start.

Andwith the project set up as a cooperative, it means that the profits generated from the various institutions will be put to the common good of the group.

Thirty-six schools will eventually get on board with the School Co-operative Agri-business project over the next three years.

The project is a joint initiative between the Co-operative Department within the Ministry of National Mobilisation and GECCU and is set at $375,000. (DD)