‘Agriculture Department wants to stifle us’ – Farmers
Stuck by the roadside attempting to push a few of her produce, a local farmer said fellow farmers are suffering from all corners and especially when they speak out, rather than they be supported better, the ‘ropes’ are being tightened around their necks.
Some farmers were bold enough to tell the Department of Agriculture how they felt the entity was doing, what they want and what needs to be done to save and make farmers push to their best. “But all you meeting with is hostility, cuss out and a set of ignorance,” alleged one farmer who called names of persons in the Department of Agriculture who allegedly threatened to stifle certain farmers.
Those persons' names have been withheld as they could not be reached for comment.
Among the things farmers are complaining about is their removal from their regular marketplace opposite the LIME BVI flagship store in the heart of Road Town.
“They moved us with no alternative of a place to sell our produce, to do what make parking? Could you believe that? We all over the place selling and they will soon stop us from our mobile units that’s what they are doing, strategically trying to stifle certain farmers,” alleged one farmer.
Another said that agriculture is dead among the Department of Agriculture as much as it is in the Ministry of Natural Resources.
“They have that greenhouse there doing nothing. Yes we understand they thing (struggling) with funding and so on but what about the idea of allowing farmers who wish to utilise some sections of that as a tester? We can grow so much tomatoes that this country would never again need to purchase tomatoes from overseas,” said the seasoned farmer.
He said this could be done in many ways, much to the benefit of the government, the health of the nation and farmers alike.
“Assign some sections to individual or groups of farmers, make it a challenge, make it a project, it don’t have to be on the long term. So much livestock manure around that forms compost and is out there just wasting, let us utilise that greenhouse facility for some farming until they get through with what they have to do otherwise with it,” suggested the farmer.
Several attempts were made to secure comment from the Department of Agriculture but to no avail.
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11 Responses to “‘Agriculture Department wants to stifle us’ – Farmers”
We always vote NDP all the way!