Taiwanese officially hand over Agricultural Projects to SVG

Minister of Agriculture Montgomery Daniel has made it clear that the Agricultural Cooperation Projects which were recently handed over to the Government by the Embassy of Taiwan is the property of the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}}

Daniel made this statement during the ceremony to hand over three of the Projects to government on Tuesday, March 29, at the premises of the farms at Orange Hill.

Giving remarks, Daniel highlighted that there have been remarks that “the government is not in control of these facilities”, but he, however, emphasized that “from today this is the property of the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.” Daniel continued by stating that he expects the best of the persons who will be running the operations at the site and that they ought to have proper moral attitudes.

During his address, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves gave a history of the establishment of the University of the West Indies, adding that persons who went to the UWI did not go only because they were bright, as bright persons existed before the establishment of the university.

“So brightness without solidarity with the people is not a quality which stands by itself. So those who are here who are very bright that we have trained or who have been trained through the generosity of the Republic of China on Taiwan must understand that they are here not merely because of their brightness, but because opportunities were made available to them and, therefore, they must be in solidarity with the farmers,” he said.

He noted that meeting matriculation requirements is a prerequisite of admission into the university, but that alone was not sufficient. “Without relation between states and without taxpayers’ money you could be as bright as you want, if you come form a poor family before the ULP came to office you catch your neck to go to university.”

The event also heard remarks from Ambassador of the Republic of China on Taiwan Weber Shih and Chief of the Taiwanese Technical Mission Ching Yu Lee. The event also featured the tour of the farms and the official opening and ribbon cutting of the Orange Hill Produce Packaging Station.

The role of the projects in the diversification of agriculture in St. Vincent and the Grenadines was highlighted, and also its benefits to the farmers and the future of agriculture in the country.