ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, May 29th, 2012 -- Grenada’s Prime Minister on Tuesday called on his countrymen, especially the teaching community, to give greater recognition to the nation’s farmers.
The Prime Minister, prior to attending today’s Cabinet meeting, expressed concern that the sector which has the greatest potential for Grenada’s growth and development, is not given the importance needed for today’s generation to accept it as a viable career opportunity. His call comes on the heels of similar comments made to leaders, teachers and students of the 4-H Movement, at the recently held 4-H Achievement Day at the National Stadium.
“I want to encourage our teachers, our parents and our communities to identify our successful farmers and include them as part of our profile of very important persons in our classrooms,” he told the activity, suggesting that the historical importance of agriculture to the island’s economic success must be “documented and taught as part of our history.”
The Prime Minister noted that the sustainability of the sector is premised on the perspective, especially among young people, that agriculture and agribusiness can contribute to the economic viability of the individual farmer and by extension, the country.
Prime Minister Thomas said, in the search for scholarships and educational opportunities for Grenada’s young people, his administration is focused on building the human resource capacity, in the five transformational sectors and expanding the links that increase Grenada’s development possibilities in a competitive world.
“If these things are achieved, our young people will be inspired and motivated to pursue agriculture as a career, he said adding that “we must seek scholarships for engineers and food technologists who can come back to our country and develop secondary products from our raw material.”
“The farmer in fact may be one of the most important person in our country because of his or her role in helping to feed our people,” he quipped, pointing to the new approaches to processing nutmeg and cocoa as examples of what can be done with other fruits and vegetables.
The Prime Minister said the expansion of agriculture was significantly retarded by the statement of some of the country’s leaders who “tried to steer our children away” from the sector because of a belief that “it is menial and the returns are low. “
“Every new farmer has the potential to create employment, reduce on our food import bill and create an avenue for greater export,” he said, while commending the students and teachers at the Concord Government School for their spice tree project.
*************************
DISCLAIMER
This article was posted in its entirety as received by SKNVibes.com. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of SKNVibes.com, its sponsors or advertisers
Grenada News