The Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Fidel Grant, and ministry officials has been visiting Dominican farmers on their farms. The government team visited Morne Prosper and Giraudel among other places to interact with farmers to assess their farming activities and learn ways the government can be more helpful to their agricultural endeavours.
Grant encouraged farmers to see the cultivation of crops and rearing of livestock as a viable business, and as an economic tool for boosting national growth. He expressed satisfaction that many of the farmers already visited maintain proper records that cover their productivity and sales figures.
I would like to applaud the farmers that we met today who had their records and it was just very rewarding to see that these farmers have records for the entire 2021 as to what and who they sell to and the amount of money they made. They were encouraged by seeing the figures and I was even more encouraged knowing that they have these figures.
Fidel Grant, Minister for Agriculture and Food Security
Given the feedback received from the farmers over the high costs of animal feeds, fertilizer, and agro-chemicals, Grant said the government will implement policies to reduce the prices of agricultural materials. He lamented that the high costs of farming materials have caused the prices of food items to skyrocket, but the government will put measures in place to drive down the prices for the benefit of the common citizens. The minister expressed satisfaction that the farmers get along fine with agriculture extension officials, and this has enabled the government to provide needed support to farmers across the island. He urged farmers to form cooperative societies so that they can access core markets for better revenue and improved outputs. He said cooperative groups will strengthen business links between farmers, supermarkets, and the general open markets.
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