Farmers asked to report damage to agriculture sector

Farmers in St Vincent who experienced losses from the Christmas flashfloods are asked to report to the nearest agricultural station.{{more}}

Minister of Agriculture Saboto Caesar made the call while addressing the media in Fitz-Hughes on December 31.

He said the entire agricultural sector in St Vincent had suffered significant damage from the flooding and landslides of December 24 and 25, and although the extension officers in the ministry immediately began carrying out their assessments, the process is taking a very long time.

He said in light of this, the Ministry of Agriculture “has triggered the system” and is asking all farmers to report to the nearest agricultural station and speak to the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture, who will be there.

“It is very important that we take our time and collate the information,” the minister said.

He said the ministry had already started discussions with friendly governments and they are trying to see how best they could put together resources to assist farmers who were affected.

The minister said it would take a while to collate the information from the farmers, as they want the assessments to be done as thoroughly as possible.

Caesar was in Fitzhughes, accompanied by deputy chief agricultural officer Ashley Caine. They travelled to the rural village by way of a helicopter, which had taken them on an aerial tour to survey damage done to the agricultural sector.

The minister asked farmers to help one another, as there are areas where there is a lot of crop damage. He said damage to feeder roads is significant, and a significant number of livestock has been lost.

He called for the support of “every single farmer in this country,” and said this is not a time to be partisan, as they are one agricultural community. He called on farmers to be resolute in efforts to rebuild the sector.