By: Precious Mills
BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Friday 15th May 2020) — A representative group of livestock and crop farmers on St. Kitts who, in a public outcry, protested outside Government Headquarters in March 2020 calling for the betterment of the agriculture sector still have more to say about the Ministry of Agriculture getting farmer input to move the sector forward.
At a press conference held on Wednesday 13th May 2020, President of the St. Kitts Farmers’ Cooperative Solomon Morton was joined by colleagues Elroy Stapleton and Gareth Lewis — three farmers recently selected to be part of a committee dealing with financial compensation regarding the loss of animals in the tick disease involving a shortage of Bayticol.
As part of the government’s COVID-19 stimulus plan, $10 million has been allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture to boost production and ensure greater food security. Morton shared a proposal: “Out of that $10 million, some money needs to be set aside in a foundation so that farmers can go and borrow that money at a cheaper interest rate and not be depending on the government for handouts, and that is key if we’re gonna move the agriculture sector forward.”
Morton added: “We are hoping that going forward whoever or whatever, you have to come to the farmers, get our input to move the agriculture sector forward. You don’t stay in an office and dictate because we are not slaves and drop-outs. We are intelligent people just like they are and all we are saying is give us the respect and listen to our cry. Let us make our input and together we can move it forward.”