Recognising the far-reaching implications of the coronavirus on the agricultural sector, an increased allocation has been made for the 2020 Farm Labour Subsidy Programme.
The programme is part of the Grenada Government’s Economic Stimulus Package for the agriculture sector, which aims to minimise the impact of the virus on the Food and Nutrition Sector, while at the same time increasing food security.
During a recent ceremony at the Dunfermline Estate, in St Andrew, Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Hon Yolande Bain-Horsford, who declared the programme open, said, “We have doubled the financial allocation to help farmers to increase production on their farms. This is a massive investment that will help to move the sector forward.”
Government, through its investment of EC$1.3 million, a significant increase over the EC$300,000 invested last year, will be focusing on the rehabilitation of tree crops, (cocoa, nutmeg, soursop, and coconut) and the establishment of roots and staple crops (vegetable, roots and tubers). The application for the Farm Labour Subsidy programme was opened in May of 2020 to farmers and landowners. The ministry received more than 700 applications and assessed farms which met the requirements for support.
Senior Agricultural Officer, Lauren St Louis, said such an investment reiterates the ministry’s focus on Food Security. “This is a huge investment, especially at this time. We ask that our farmers and extension officers and the people who will be contracted to do the labour all remember this investment. It is our investment into our future, into our food security.”
The ministry has proposed 200 acres for each component of the programme: 70 acres of government land, and 130 acres on farmers’ holdings.
Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
