| “New Water Policy for the Agricultural Sector” |
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| Written by Publisher | |||
| Wednesday, 27 January 2010 13:00 | |||
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Omar W. Hodge, Minister for Natural Resources and Labour My people of the Virgin Islands, I am Omar Wallace Hodge, Minister for Natural Resources and Labour. Today, on the eve of the 2010 Farmers Week which takes place from February 5th to 12th 2010, I am here to relay some very good news to our farming community. The farmers in these Virgin Islands, like farmers throughout the world, face some serious challenges in producing food. One of the major obstacles is a consistent, adequate and reasonably cheap supply of water. Farmers throughout the Territory have been asking for some relief as it relates to the high cost of water used in agricultural production. The majority of the farmers use approximately 1,000 – 3,000 gallons of water per day to maintain their livestock and produce. At this consumption rate, the average monthly water bill ranges from $350.00 to $1,600.00. I have always assured the farmers that their cry for assistance in the area of water was not falling on deaf ears. I Omar W. Hodge have been paying attention. I have heard your cry and so it is with an open heart, a clear mind and a vision for the future that I come to you today, to announce that the Cabinet has agreed to write off all debt in respect of water for the farmers Territory-wide. I repeat! Cabinet has agreed to write off all debt in respect of water for the farmers Territory-wide. Cabinet has further directed that any farmer whose water supply has been cut off, that supply will be restored immediately. Farmers, this is a first and important step in addressing your water woes. I will have more to tell you shortly as the Cabinet continues to fine-tune a water policy for the farming community. With this step forward, the local farming community is now in a better position to improve its yield, expand its production variety and compete with imported agricultural produce. As Minister for Agriculture, I urge you to take up the challenge to produce, produce, produce and I wish you a great and productive Farmers Week 2010. Comments (0) Share this story           
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