‘We are chasing’ after $$ while agriculture suffers- Hon Turnbull
Hon Turnbull posed the question during a public meeting on February 10, 2020 at the Ivan Dawson Primary School in Cane Garden Bay.
“We are talking about medical marijuana, we talking about the money. This is the problem we have; we are chasing and continue to chase after money but after Irma and Maria what we didn’t have in this country? Food. What built this country? Farmers and fishermen. You have land up Paraquita Bay for years now, and I understand they got concrete apartment buildings on the land,” he remarked.
“Are our priorities in order? This is our country, and we have to use the opportunity to rebuild,” Hon Turnbull added.
Gov’t to address illegal use of agricultural land
The issue of persons using agricultural lands for other purposes, including residential, was a matter highlighted by Minister for Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture Dr The Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) in August 2019.
Hon Wheatley had said persons who have established illegal developments on agriculture lands belonging to the Crown will face the consequences.
“I will say very clearly that anybody who even has the intention of going to Paraquita Bay to construct any illegal development, do not do it because you will waste your investment, you will waste your money.”
Speaking at a meeting for farmers and fishermen at Breezeway at Central Administration Complex on August 15, 2019, Hon Wheatley said while the issue may be controversial for some it is not for him at all as Crown lands do not belong to any individual.
“I have to say that very clearly, that land is not any individual’s land, that’s the government’s land that has been allocated to different farmers for agricultural purposes and the type of accountability that we need to have with the use of the land has not been there.”
Fisheries
As it relates to the fishing sector, the Opposition legislator said: “I understand the walk-in freezers and all the other stuff that we spent thousands and thousands of dollars on were given away a couple of weeks ago.”
He continued: “So has there been a path or a clear plan on how the fisheries industry will come back, how the agriculture will come back? No, I haven’t heard it. If you have heard it, please tell me.”
Similar concerns were raised by the wider opposition group that the plans for the fishing complex is shrouded in mystery by the Andrew A. Fahie-led administration.
Opposition Leader Honorable Marlon A. Penn (R-8) the Government announced plans in December 2019, to demolish the hurricane-battered fishing complex located in Baugher’s Bay on Tortola to facilitate an extension of Port Purcell.
However, “You haven’t heard yet where the next fishing complex is going to be. Fishing is a very viable industry for this territory. We are yet to see a plan on how we are going to address the issue of fishing, and the issue of just growing food for food security in this territory. There is no holistic approach to the development of the agriculture industry,” Penn said.
Location identified, but not revealed
Dr Wheatley, during the budget debate in the House of Assembly on December 13, 2019, said a location had been identified for the new fishing complex; however, he did not reveal the proposed site.
“We have identified a location for the fishing complex so we can expect to see some forward movement on the Fishing Complex,” he said.
“I recently met the fisherpersons in Anegada. I know that they would be quite pleased to have a location because that’s very important for the development of their business,” he added.
The Minister stated that the fishing complex had to be relocated to facilitate Port Purcell’s in keeping its certification that requires the facility to have a certain amount of space to operate.
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