KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (CMC) — The leader of the main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) Godwin Friday, has described as “nonsense” a proposal by Minister of Agriculture Saboto Caesar that local farmers be sent to cultivate 35,000 acres of land in Venezuela.
“No farmer in St Vincent and the Grenadines is going to Venezuela for doing anything. Venezuela is not a land of opportunity now,” said Friday, the opposition leader, as he commented on the Agroalba Cooperation Agreement.
“In any event, that is an idea, that is nonsense masquerading as some initiative. It just tells you that they have run out — I mean, they’re not scraping the barrel, they’re going under the box. Because that is such a stupid idea,” he said in response to a caller to his weekly radio programme.
Agroalba aims to establish food sovereignty within the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) region as its primary goal.
Caesar and Venezuelan Minister for Agriculture and Land, Menry Fernández signed a memorandum of understanding on agricultural cooperation earlier this month.
“How does that help agriculture in St. Vincent and the Grenadines? That is basically telling farmers here in this country, ‘Just give up what you’re doing’ because that is not offering any hope to our farmers here,” Friday said.
“And it’s mamaguying. And then when Saboto comes up with that idea and go and talk to farmers, they should say, ‘Man, you gotta be out of your mind. You grew up in a farming community. You know that nobody in your family going say they going Venezuela to do farming. What stupidness you’re talking about?’”
The opposition leader called on Caesar to deal with the issues affecting agriculture in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“Help the farmers to get feeder roads, to get supply of imports, to protect their agricultural produce from people who steal them and also to guarantee that they have a decent return from their investment.”
He said the agriculture minister should guard against the market fluctuating “so wildly”, saying this was the case when the Marketing Board was operating.
“These are things that will help the farmers and tell them that you have some hope, not that you’re going to export them and send them off to Venezuela to do what?
“Ridiculous! It’s nonsense, and caller you should be really righteously indignant about this because what it says is that this government, they have lost all faith in farmers. They are now peddling all kinds of ridiculous ideas and calling them initiatives. And the farmers they won’t fall for that. They’re smarter than that.”
In presenting the initiative on the state-owned NBC Radio, Caesar said that most of the imported food consumed in the Caribbean comes from Latin America, via agents in Miami who buy them in bulk.
“So if you are now being offered 35,000 acres of land that could produce cattle, that could produce goats in large quantities, can produce rice, and you can enter into an arrangement, a private sector arrangement, private sector company, St. Vincent, private sector in Caracas, and expand the frontiers for food production in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Caesar said.
He said that four years after the eruption of La Soufriere volcano, a lot of farmers across the country cannot produce commodities because of changes in the PH of the soil.
“… and it can happen again, a category 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, can happen; a drought can happen. And at the end of the day, I am not going to sit here, see an opportunity to change the vulnerability and the susceptibility of our food system and not grab it.”
He said the St. Vincent and the Grenadines government is fully supportive of the project.
“Lands have been offered in the tune of 35,000 acres of land. We are putting a plan together. If you have ideas, we are going to have a public discussion on this,” Caesar said, adding that he is happy to be at the leadership of the project.
He said there are some commodities that Vincentian farmers would prefer to grow at home.
“… expansion of vegetables; our soils are excellent for dasheen production. And nobody said that because you have 35,000 acres of land in Venezuela, have access to that, means that you’re not going to pay attention.
“In fact, we are going to bulk up production in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Caesar said.
He said that with this “cross-fertilisation of ideas”, working with technicians from the ALBA platform, there would be “hundreds more of technical persons and increasing the human resource capacity.
“You are going to see persons from Venezuela come here to bring information as to how we can increase our production in certain commodities, other varieties.”
He said discussions are being held about an intra-ALBA shipping arrangement “because if you produce the commodities in Venezuela, you have to move them. And how this is going to impact on what is happening,” Caesar said.
“And let us in the whole discussion appreciate that what ALBA is doing now, and the offering from ALBA now, Guyana made that offer, Suriname made that offer, and it is for small islands like ours to be able to take up on these offers,” he said.
How it pains my heart to see the homeland becoming a marxist communist state. We, if you believe ULP/Gonsalves/ULP Political Cronies, we don’t have the acumen to do anything to solve our own problems, if it doesn’t involve us licking the backsides of some half ass communist country. All these decisions made on our behalf only benefits ULP politicians and communist dictators. Venezuela’s currency worth is less than ours. Venezuela is worse off than SVG socially and otherwise. Why doesn’t Venezuela approach the french or the dutch with these proposals? Gonsalves/ Saboto Ceasar/other ULP cronies are selling our blood and making our people subservient to communist regimes. Saboto Ceasar has no ideas, except marijuana sales: and lock up locals for it, No ideas that would benefit SVG, only his own financial situation.
This might not be as bad an idea as it appears. If the agricultural land in SVG is efficiently utilized and the products cultivated in Venezuela complements those grown in SVG, synergies might develop that could be profitable for Vincentian farm entrepreneurs.
Any such initiative, however, should carefully consider the economic and political conditions in Venezuela. Would Vincentian farmers enter Venezuela only to be caught up in the political turmoil of that country? What would happen when a non-ALBA party succeeds in that country?
Trod carefully Mr. Saboto Ceasar–charity begins at home. First solve the agricultural problems in SVG before venturing abroad. Find ways to solve any problems brought on from the volcanic eruption.
Hmm … how about working to consolidate some of the small farms in SVG to larger units, say at least 5 acres per farm? This could make them more economically feasible.
Vinci Vin
So what is the plan? Give Rayneau our agricultural lands and we go on a Venezuelan plantation, back to being slaves? Wow…….labour now!!!
Venezueelan are running from their country to Trinidad usa and else wher, why vencentian want to go to this country to work their land..,?? Please make it make sense.
When will the verdict on the dictator of S.v.G mandatory COVID 19 vaccine be is the CCJ part of a higher corruption plan .
Socialism Communist didcator the kenite Ralph Devil seed mix into Christian vincentians RALPH GONSALVES and the communist and socialist Nations and their agenda using Vincentians and the name of Christian S.V.G to promote their SATANIC communism and socialism and dictatorship SYSTEM Agenda here in the Caribbean and the world Venezuela, and Cuba is fully socialism and Communist under SATANIC dictatorship bondage and oppression SYSTEM are vincentians farmers this foolish to believe this rubbish of SATAN disciple Ralph Gonsalves .
It is one of the very few times that i hear this opposition is against anything that this regime do in svg i did not even know they had a voice
it’s de people, de people love um so. ‘don’t forget we are very special set of slaves.
This is another way of using vincentians for the communist and socialist didcator Nations of Venezuela by kenite socialist communist dictator Ralf Gonsalves whoes roots and bloodline is not in you Vincentians check and see who is his real people .