The series of face-to-face consultations between Minister of Agriculture, E. P. Chet Greene, and the farming community will continue with a meeting with farmers at All Saints Secondary School on Tuesday night.
Accompanied by Chief Extension Officer, Owolawi Elabanjo, and Chief Plant Protection Officer, Dr. Janil Gore, Minister Greene, is fulfilling his duty to engage with farmers in Antigua and Barbuda regularly.
Greene says this will allow him to better grasp, directly from the source, the challenges farmers encounter, and their concerns related to food production.
In an earlier consultation, farmers identified several common concerns. Chief among them were issues related to the supply of water f and the ongoing problem of praedial larceny.
“The farmers also raised a number of concerns with the minister including the issue of marketing of their produce and the ongoing problems surrounding adequate supply of water,” Elabanjo reported.
He said the minister listened attentively in what turned out to be a lively and interactive session between himself, the ministry’s technicians and the farmers.
While their concerns will not all be solved overnight, Minister Greene committed to giving the farmers the attention they deserve and promised that he will provide updates on the progress being made to address their requests directly and through the ministry’s technicians.
The next meeting will involve farmers from the southeast and northeast of Antigua. This will bring together farmers from Parham, Lodge, Pares, Glanvilles, Seatons and Willikies with their counterparts from Bethesda, St. Philip, and Freetown.
Following tonight’s meeting, the minister will journey to Barbuda in early March to meet with farmers there.
