Convincing Armajaro about suitability of SVG terrain no easy matter – Sir James

Convincing the officials of Armajaro Trading Company that this country’s terrain was suitable for a mass cocoa cultivation project was no easy matter.{{more}}

This, according to Sir James Mitchell, former Prime Minister of this country who during an interview with SEARCHLIGHT on May 28, said that Armajaro’s President, Ruth Moloney, during the visit to St Vincent back in 2010, made the comment that the terrain was not conducive to cocoa production.

According to Sir James, the team arrived on the eve of the last General Elections, which were held on December 13, 2010.

And because of his involvement in the elections, the former Vincentian leader said that they met with his daughter, Louise Mitchell-Joseph.

When he met with the contingent, however, on Tuesday, December 14, the day after the elections, he said that he was informed by Amajaro’s President that she was not sure about this thing, because the country was too mountainous.

“I said madame president, this country was growing cocoa since before the Europeans came here…we have been growing bananas for 50 years and we couldn’t sell our bananas to England if the skin was damaged,” Sir James explained.

“Our people for hundreds of years [have been] going up and down these hills and if they can bring down a banana bunch to make sure it is not damaged, what you say about a cocoa pod that you don’t care about the pod.”

Sir James said Moloney subsequently agreed to send someone to conduct a feasibility study.

“So I had to bring down that first barrier,” Sir James told SEARCHLIGHT.

He also responded to claims made by some people in the opposition that he had given the project to the Unity Labour Party led administration, saying that when the official arrived, he asked to meet with Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture.

“When I was expected to set up a meeting with Ralph, they said I gave away the project to Ralph and Louise,” he said.

Sir James also said that following the meeting between Prime Minister Gonsalves and the consultants, Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace refused to meet with the contingent when he was approached to do so by Lennie Daisley.

Sir James said the NDP eventually agreed to meet with the group some time after.

But he contended that the NDP would not have been in a position to get the project up and running.

“Can we in the NDP, in opposition, get in the planting material? It has to be ratified by the Ministry to bring in the planting material,” Sir James said. (DD)