ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, February 10th,  2012 -- As a young boy growing up, I well remember accompanying my father to Coxheath before sunrise to work in our ground to harvest crops; then venture out to sea to pull our fishpots. Later in the day we would take our animals to the well for water before leaving them to graze the pastures.

Although my mother stayed at home, I know that many women were part of this experience too. In those days we burned and picked charcoal, cut and scraped the mauby bark and some of us processed cane rum.

Ladies and gentlemen, those were the days when we heavily depended on the bountiful harvest of fish, livestock, fruits and vegetables which filled the Market Square on a daily basis and especially on weekends. Those were the days when we socialised more because we had few telephones, no computers and the like.

Today, our modus operandi has shifted and it is time for us to change course where public and private organisations and the rest of the community should be working more closely with farmers to bolster the agriculture sector.

We sees an opportunity to work with farmers through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour and the Department of Agriculture to reinvigorate and develop a regular farmer’s market where our residents and visitors can purchase fresh produce directly from farmers.

We see an opportunity to move forward with developing a National Agricultural Policy and introducing Agribusiness Development Legislation to promote agriculture as a viable profession in the Virgin Islands.

We see an opportunity to explore various means through which our farmers can find local and regional markets for their livestock and crops. We see this as not being done in isolation, but rather through using expert advice.

Equally import, we see the need to diversify this economy. We know that Tourism and Financial Services has long been the foundation of prosperity. But, as we all know, food security is essential to the sustainable development and survival of our Territory.

You may recall that we campaigned on the issue of an adequate and affordable water supply to farmers. In our previous term in office, we made every effort to solve the water woes of farmers. Paraquita Bay wells had been reactivated and water tanks were imported and distributed to farmers, all as a part of our national programme to assist farmers.

So, here we are five years later and I am here to tell you that we are committed to solving these water woes, once again. We are committed to fixing the economy; we are committed to improving the standard of living for all; we are committed to improving the quality of life for all; and we are committed to building a sustainable Virgin Islands.

We see agriculture in these Virgin Islands as a way to strengthen our economic base, and to make our Territory more financially secure to withstand the fluctuations in the global economy.

We see the need to work closely with farmers to empower them to produce more, sell more to local markets and export some of their produce to our regional neighbours.

We see the need for businesses to support and purchase goods directly from farmers for resale to our supermarket buyers, restaurants and other places that contribute to our tourism product.

Agriculture for this government is about promoting the produce of our farmers all year round. Whether it is livestock farming, poultry farming, crop farming, fishing, gardening, we are in full support. Farmers’ Week, we see as an opportunity for us to remind each other that we must support our local farmers.

We are here today and for the next week to witness the grand showcase throughout the territory of fruits, vegetables, preserves, livestock and we can’t forget the handicraft. This is just a mere glimpse of our farmer’s hard work. We appreciate what they do to keep the spirit of agriculture constant in our minds for generations to come.

I challenge our young people, to learn about the many career opportunities in agriculture and related fields. I commend schools and teachers who have initiated school garden programs to expose students to the importance of agriculture and I encourage others to get on board.

Let me also encourage families to start backyard gardens to be self sufficient.

Restaurateurs support our farmers and highlight on your menus the word ‘fresh’ and ‘local’ to assist with boosting our tourism product.

Supermarkets, hoteliers, you can do your part in helping us to take agriculture to an even higher level.

Through the Ministry and Department of Agriculture, we will do all it can to upgrade the agricultural sector.

Our goal is to find ways to improve access to technical assistance, provide exposure to the use of modern technology, present more information for implementing best practices, and support training for farmers in areas such as canning, processing, drying, freezing, among other initiatives.

Perhaps more importantly I want to link our agriculture with our tourism product and in this regard am committed to promoting a ‘local farm to table’ programme. I am committed to twinning our finest produce to our finest restaurants to demonstrate that the most delicious food that the Virgin Islands can produce can be grown right here and not imported.

I have seen this programme work in the Cayman Islands and in other areas in the Caribbean and am confident that we can do the same to boost our agricultural product.

I commend the Agricultural Department for keeping Farmers’ Week alive for 20 years and we look forward to celebrating many more.

I join with the Minister for Natural Resources, my colleague, Honourable Kedrick Pickering who I know is passionate about the work of farmers, the importance of farmers and their contributions to this economy. I join with him in honouring the hard work of these men and women of these Virgin Islands and to do whatever is necessary to ensure their sustainability.

In advance, I congratulate all participants who will win in the various categories over the next few days.

On behalf of my Government, I wish everyone including our young people and children an exciting agricultural week of activities.

Thank you.

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