Moontown

Hon. Minister of Agriculture, Matthew Walter, shakes hands with Venezuelan representative

The Government of Dominica has expanded its cooperation with the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Venezuela for the rehabilitation and expansion of coffee acreages in the Commonwealth of Dominica and operationalization of the Coffee Plant at One Mile in Portsmouth donated by the Venezuelan Government.

On his last visit to Dominica in June, 2009, the Venezuelan President, His Excellency, Hugo Chavez Frias, promised that his government would provide Dominica with a modern coffee processing plant.

The MOU states that a Coffee Grand National Company will be constituted taking into account the principles enshrined in the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of our America (ALBA) and the Treaty of Commerce of the People.

Speaking at the signing ceremony last week, Minister for Agriculture and Forestry, Hon. Matthew Walter, stated the responsibilities to be executed by both countries as outlined in the MOU.

The Dominica Government has made available 50,000 sq. ft (1.5 acres) at One Mile in Portsmouth where the coffee processing plant has already been installed. Dominica will also be responsible to provide a slab of approximately 20,000 sq. ft to install the structure as well as perimeter fencing, transportation, electricity, water and other basic utilities during construction and make land available to the company for demonstration and training of coffee producers.

For its part Venezuela will provide the designs and plans, and execute the construction of the shed. Venezuela will also supply, install and commence operations of the Coffee Processing Plant. Venezuela will be responsible to provide training to personnel operating the machinery and the producers of coffee as well as provide assistance for the rehabilitation and establishment of coffee fields in Dominica.

In his remarks, Hon. Walter reiterated the intention of the Government to diversify agriculture in Dominica. The Minister added that Dominica has the terrain, rainfall and soil type to produce a top quality brand name coffee.

Mr. Walter acknowledged that in the 1980s and 90s farmers cut down their coffee trees and went into bananas due to the relatively high prices the fruit attracted in Europe.

In light of the changes that have taken place in the banana industry over the years, Hon. Walter issued a call to farmers to seize the opportunities currently available by going back into coffee production in a significant way.

“Farmers, the opportunities are enormous and the market is available. You have the potential to produce large volumes of coffee. New technologies in coffee production have changed the old concept of tall tree coffee. The methods of harvesting coffee have changed. No more do you have to climb a tall ladder. It is our responsibility to revive the local coffee industry and I am calling on all concerned to embrace the opportunity and plant more coffee,” Hon. Walter concluded.

The complete coffee plant arrived in Dominica from Venezuela on July 22, 2009. Since then the Technical Staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Technical Services Division of the Ministry of Public Works, Energy and Ports, the Office of the Attorney General as well as their counterparts in Venezuela have been working assiduously in the last several months on this project.

In the last few months there have also been several high powered technical missions by the President of Café Venezuela, Mrs. Alida Moreno to Dominica.

Also in attendance at the signing ceremony were Mr. Francisco Anzola Minister/Counsellor, Venezuelan Embassy in Dominica, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Samuel Carette, acting Director of Agriculture, Mr. Richard Alport , Dr. John Toussaint, Head of the Agriculture Investment Unit, Mr. Jose Antonio Olavarria, Second Secretary, Venezuelan Embassy and Ms. Yaritza Barbosa, First Secretary, Venezuelan Embassy. (Dominica News)

(DNO) The Dominica National Council of Women (DNCW) says it is saddened by a recent UNICEF report which revealed an increase in sexual abuse against girls and even more so, young boys.

President of the DNCW Josephine Dublin Prince said information about the abuse of young boys by women is very alarming.

“The young boys may more often than not report such abuse. Most alarming is the fact that the culprits are adults who the victims know. The DNCW condemns this inhumane act and calls for the perpetrators to be dealt with severely with the full strength of the law,” she said.

Dublin-Prince says every child has the right to live her life free from domestic violence, including sexual violence.

“We are calling on all concerns parties to take note and work towards further discussion on the matter. We need to find ways to rid our society from such inhumane acts and to assist the victims through discussions and counseling,” she said. (Dominica News)

Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Demonstrating confidence in ‘Destination Jamaica’, 33 meeting planners and incentive buyers representing 25 companies arrived here last Thursday, opening new frontiers to the US$120-140-billion meetings-and-incentives market.

The group, comprising representatives from the United States, Canada and Europe, attending the annual Jamaica Meeting Expo (JAMEX) is the first set of potential “ambassadors” with the capacity to commence repair to the damage that the recent unrest in Kingston dealt the country.

While on the island, planners did one-on-one business sessions with industry stakeholders at the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall, were hosted at breakfast at RIU Montego Bay, ate at Half Moon and visited The Palmyra Resort and Spa, Secrets Resorts, Rose Hall Resort and Spa and a number of attractions.

Their trip to the island comes days after tourism minister Edmund Bartlett announced there would likely be a fall-out of US$350 million to the tourist industry, and precedes the completion of the new convention centre in the tourism capital, Montego Bay, St James.

The multibillion-dollar facility is scheduled to be opened in November.

“Group business is booked at least a year in advance, so these buyers are looking at 2011, 2012 and beyond,” said Marcia Bullock-Jobson, regional director, groups and conventions, the Jamaica Tourist Board.

Resilience of the market

Noting that there were only six cancellations from participants on this trip, Bullock-Jobson said the response so soon after the unrest shows the resilience of the market.

“It reconfirms that today’s travellers are mature and familiar with the Jamaican product, and are more intelligent about news.”

Although the incident took place hours away from the resort areas of Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril and Port Antonio, some of the hotels located in the aforementioned towns have received cancellations of bookings.

At least one of the JAMEX buyers, James Santella of Incentive Travel Planners, Illinois, admitted to inspecting the map of Jamaica to see where Kingston was located before coming here.

“But I was satisfied that the capital city was a few hours away from the resort areas,” he told The Gleaner.

Santella, who works with mid-sized groups, namely companies involved in manufacturing, said coming to Jamaica has given him more options.

Another buyer, Michael Loj of MICETime, travelled 22 hours from Poland to experience the Jamaican product.

“Jamaica is a new destination for us, but we currently send a lot of incentive groups to the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Mexico,” said Loj, revealing that he already had a 2011 group booked for Jamaica and will return later this year with some of his key clients to inspect the product.

His counterpart, Debbie Cotton-Burinski of Air Canada Vacations, who has an impressive listing of 25 groups booked to visit Jamaica, said her organisation’s advantage is accessibility to the air seats.

“We fill our planes every day. Jamaica is a big market for us.”

According to Cotton-Burinski, there have been no cancellations by any of her groups. (JamaicaGleaner)

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com

Scarlette Gillings, managing director of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF); Andrew Holness (second left), member of parliament for St Andrew West Central; Hiroshi Yamaguchi (second right), Japanese Ambassador and Dr Badrul Haque, World Bank special representative, speak among each other prior to the recent signing of a Japan Social Development Fund grant. - Contributed

Special Representative of the World Bank, Badrul Haque has called for Jamaicans to unite against crime and violence, saying the country’s very existence is at risk.

“Jamaica is at a serious crossroad where crime and violence is concerned … . The issues here are life and death for everyone and Jamaicans must unite to address this threat to the country’s existence,” Haque disclosed.

The World Bank special representative, who was speaking last week at the launch of the Jamaica Crime and Violence Prevention Programme, at the Spanish Court Hotel in New Kingston, noted that the recent unrest in sections of the capital has shown that no one in Jamaica is immune to the crime monster.

No one spared

“Events of the last two and a half weeks have shown just how crime and violence affects all of us at the national level and community level; rich and poor, young and old, uptown and downtown … local residents and foreigners living here as well as Jamaicans in the diaspora,” he said.

Haque added that the unrest - which had its roots in the Tivoli Gardens enclave and quickly spread to sections of the Corporate Area - made it clear that the problem of crime and violence, at the level of even one community, means problem for “all of us”.

“The costs of these disruptions and losses are enormous … . Jamaica cannot afford to continue like this,” the World Bank special representative stated. Pointing to the successes of the Jamaica Debt Exchange programme launched in January, he said out of the current challenges can come opportunities and urged Jamaicans to seize the opportunity.

“The flip side of a problem is opportunity. Earlier this year, faced with a mounting debt crisis, Jamaicans came together to ensure the success of the debt exchange … surely it is possible to do the same in addressing crime and violence,” Haque noted. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Chief Justice Zaila McCalla has reserved her ruling in the application brought by West Kingston strongman Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke who is seeking to get orders to halt the process to have him extradited to face charges in the United States.

Coke is seeking leave to go to the Judicial Review Court to get orders to quash the minister of justice’s decision to sign the authority to start extradition proceedings against him.

He is also seeking an order from the chief justice to stay the warrant of arrest that was issued last month.

Lawyers representing the parties made submissions in chambers on Thursday and Friday. The chief justice will inform the lawyers when she is ready to hand down her ruling.

The minister of justice and the director of public prosecutions are the respondents and they are opposing Coke’s application.

Coke, 41, is wanted by the United States government to face charges for conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine and illegal trafficking in firearms. (Jamaica Gleaner)