by Linda Straker
- New fruits and vegetables to be introduced to farming community
- New varieties part of research at Chinese Agricultural Mission in St David
- Donation will positively affect strengthening Grenada’s food security structure
The Ministry of Agriculture in conjunction with the Chinese Agricultural Mission will be introducing some new varieties of fruits and vegetables to the farming community.
“The ministry looks forward with great anticipation for the commencement for the trials of many new varieties of fruits and vegetables. We believe this will provide farmers with an opportunity to be exposed to new varieties and techniques for increasing they production,” Agriculture Minister, Yolande Bain-Horsford, said while addressing a ceremony in which the Chinese Mission handed over agricultural machinery valued over EC$1 million.
Though she did not publicly provide information about the new varieties that will be introduced to the island, it is understood that most of the testing and trials of planting the new varieties will be conducted as part of research at the Chinese Agricultural Mission in St David.
Earlier last week, Bain-Horsford in a national address, announced that government has agreed to an agricultural stimulus package. The donation will positively affect the various agricultural initiatives aimed at strengthening Grenada’s food security structure.
Bain-Horsford expressed her high gratitude to the Chinese Government and people for the timely assistance to Grenada which is occurring during the global Covid-19 epidemic. “These much-needed machineries donated by the Chinese side will help the agriculture sector recover from the impact of Covid-19.” She spoke highly of the agriculture experts from China and expressed commitment to deepen the bilateral cooperation in agriculture. “The stimulus package provides an excellent start to boost the production, marketing and distribution of agricultural produce. I am also confident that the material and equipment received today will play a major role in the ministry’s mitigation efforts at this time,” she said.
On Friday, 5 June, Dr Zhao Yongchen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Grenada, handed over the batch of agricultural machinery to Bain-Horsford in the presence of representatives from both countries, at the China-Aid Agricultural Demonstration Centre in La Sagesse, St David.
The ambassador believes the machinery will help Grenada to resume agricultural production and improve farmers’ livelihood. “China is willing to deepen the bilateral cooperation in various fields under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, boost the economic and social development of Grenada, and strengthen the friendship between China and Grenada,” he said.
With the total value of EC$1.2 million, the donation includes wheeled tractors, trucks, rotary tillers, along with other equipment and fertilisers. The donation is under the framework of China-Aid Agricultural Technical Cooperation Project Phase 7.
Do you trust the Chinese? How about their integrity? Certainly not, nope . Just why you Caribbean leaders are allowing chineese colonies in the Caribbean. You all need to just stop pull the brakes. Pest and diseases they are bringing to us. Grenadians please think before it is too late.
I wonder if this is a back door entry or an under the table entry into bring other unwanted items to Grenada but using equipment and supposed new plants into the country undetected. I smell something coming in the wind from China and I hope we see it and put a stop to it before it slaps us in the face..
When is the government going listen to the people, Chinese do not like us they think we are stupid. The government will ruin the country if they let them put there hands in everything. Watch this space.
As a Grenadian living abroad
I would not like that the Chinese get involved in anything, we have to learn about other countries that are involved and now they are paying the price. Please use wisdom and discretion, money is not all. When our people suffer lost etc.
When will the Grenadian government realize that nothing is for free?
This “donation” by the Chinese has bought us to their commands for life.
They will begin to pollute the soil with pesticides and herbicides and ruin the environment like they have done in China.
Did you know that the air quality in China is one of the worst in the world?
Please let us maintain our pristine lands and natural resources, which is the main attractant to most tourists who visit our country. No donations are worth sacrificing the lives and health of the Grenadian people.
We do not need to import diseases and pests from China in to Grenada.
JOHN THOMAS! You hit the nail on the head. You said it all. I also agree with the rest of you. China definitely know what they are doing. That’s is big plan for all over the Caribbean. They don’t like black people. They are putting these islands into debt which they will not be able to pay. It’s a system. Aren’t we tired of having other groups of people taking advantage if us black people. Anything free for Grenadians they will take it. We can say no. We have enough fruits and vegetables. Our fruits is in our Island for years. Why add foreign fruits. Bull shit! Our fruits are authentic. Artificial fertilizers are no good. Why feed our bodies with that to affect our health. We can plant our own food with natural fertilizer. Least get back to the basic and plant our fruits and vegetables and share with the neighbors when we too much or sell a little. We need to keep our way of living as natural as possible and loving our neighbors and taking care of each others. They Chinese, the Indians, the white people stick together and we must work for them? Look what is going in the the USA and around the world. Enough is enough. We have to fight for ourselves because the institutional system was created for black not to be successful and to keep us down. The young people of all kinds are not stupid. Look them fighting for what is wrong. Wake up people! Our own government is brain wash psychologically and putting money in they own pockets from those who are controlling the system instead of using they head and put the money in their island and for the people. We are still enslaved by the system. Look at how the hotel system is working, how mu h they pay our people, the government keep selling land for hotels and that very disgusting program citizen by investment. Why can you invest in our people. Have the majority of the businesses own by Grenadians. That been said make sure we are educated or trained in these areas are just smart and simple commonsense.
We have to keep fighting. We were fighting for our way of life since since slavery was abolished and that fight is continuing and continuing like there is no end.
On a quick note. Do you know that black people were taken from Africa as slaves first to the Arab countries first like Saudi Arabia before the Europeans. We were also treated very badly by them. They African was castrated so they couldn’t impregnate their wives/women.The Arabs impregnated the women so they can make children and they ended up integrating with their society, religion etc and lost they own culture. So think about these slave masters wanted the mixture because we are more physical strong and could endure labour.
Chase them Chinese we dont need no more fruits they just want to monopolise and bring their disease . Lawd Grenada finishe
When the Chinese came to GRENADA, they came to a land full of all sorts of fruits and vegetable . How is it that they are strengthening your food supply with new food. Are we having a laugh here?
It often said that a person needs to be extremely cautious and weary of a visitor who comes bearing “gifts” as such “gifts” may very well possess the seeds that initiate the gift receiver’s destruction or demise. This may especially be true when it comes to receiving “gifts” from Chinese people. Most Chinese people have shown, in practice, to have genuine dislike or contempt for Black people.
The only reasons why these Chinese people are Grenada is to shed their excess population of mostly males (not that we care if females are included) and assist us in increasing our debt load for things that we do not need and won’t be able to pay back for. The ultimate aim is to dispossess us, by stealth or any means necessary, of whatever little resources of value that we, Indigenous Grenadians, have left in our hands. To help expedite the dispossession process, the Chinese seems to have enlisted the help of our so-called government who seems to be in full agreement and cooperation with this dispossession.
It is high time that we, Indigenous Grenadians, become honest with ourselves and ask this basic question: Why would Chinese people leave their homeland and travel thousand of miles to come help Black people they don’t even know or care about when there are Chinese people in their own county in greater need of assistance? It seems that we, Indigenous Grenadians, have lost our senses or have hopelessly resigned ourselves to believe that there is such a thing called free lunch, as our politicians seem to be promoting day by day.
Given the Chinese code towards Black people, we must be very weary of these so-called new variety of fruits and vegetable in this age of genetically engineered seeds/plants. Yet, our great Minister of Agriculture is too fickle and busy to accept what we maybe receiving “cat in bag”, not knowing that we are too primitive to determine whether the seeds and equipment we receiving are going to help or harm us.
Are we in such a terrible situation here, on this island, that we can’t afford to purchase new variety or fruits, vegetables, and farming equipment of our choice with our own money or money from the endless number of loans that we have taken from the World Bank, IMF, and anybody and everybody willing to increase our debt load?
Ironically, we could have easily diverted 1.2 million (E.C.) from the millions of U.S. dollars we recently poured in to hotels, not owned by Indigenous Grenadians, to instead purchase seeds and equipment of choice. Let see if these hotels share their profits with us when they rebound.
Indigenous Grenadians must remember that China, like Taiwan, is not a friend of Indigenous Grenadians as the reality is that we have no friends, whether we believe or not. When Taiwan was asked leave Grenada, we saw the cumulative bill they sent our way, which we are still struggling to pay.
What make Indigenous Grenadians think that China will not do the same when time is appropriate? The only difference is that the Chinese’ bill will be much, much larger. So we must stop fooling ourselves into thinking that this so-called China-Grenada relationship with is a partnership, when Grenada has no bargaining power. Bargaining power does not and cannot come from begging. We need to solve our own problems. No one can do this for us.
Wake up, Indigenous Grenadians!
Why Grenada need China’s help for food? They are coming their to put chemicals in what seeds plants so it grows faster. Money is the root of all injurious things. The government in Grenada needs to give others a chance. In power for over 30years if I can remember. Most Grenadians don’t even have jobs. What are you all doing to help the people? Instead posting stuff of what Chinese are doing. They are using you all. They treat blacks overseas and blacks that are living in China like garbage. They cannot even go in the same places with them. Why are you all so happy About 1million EC$??? Wake up and you Farmers grow natural food. Grenada cannot handle diseases. Where you all going to put all the sick people from whatever the Chinese bringing in Grenada. Please don’t
don’t sell Grenada.. Why the Chinese? They are using you all stop been proud. You are all acting foolish. Can Grenada go to China and show them how to do anything? Yes anything. Help Grenadians the people are suffering. The government should be ashamed to tell that China is helping. Because of the government in Grenada to travel to Canada we need a Visa.Why because government sell Grenadian passport to Chinese people to come to Canada. That’s why Canada put Visa on Grenada.. When I came to Canada was just my ticket. Few years Visa. Why because of this present government. Wake up
Hmmm! A Trojan horse comes to mind. Anyway, ‘… trials of many new varieties of fruits and vegetables.’ It will be interesting to know what they will be considering ‘new varieties’. Let’s hope these new variety of produce are not Genetically Modified Organisms. Fertilisers? What did Grenada use before the introduction of man made fertilisers? Are we not able to revert back to something similar? We know the proven implication that certain fertilisers can do long term to a person’s health. Let’s hope everything is screened and tested before we go jumping for joy with our new donations.
I agree