$1.5M needed to make Greenhouses operational- SFC Report
In a report by the former Virgin Islands Auditor General Sonia M. Webster, it showed the challenges of the project. She wrote “at the time of this report (March 14, 2014), the Government had spent over $6 Million on this project ….there has been no crop from the greenhouse to date.”
When the National Democratic Party Government took office from 2011 to 2015-current, the new Deputy Premier and Natural Resources and Labour Minister Dr The Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering (R7) told the House of Assembly (HoA) that his administration was committed to continuing and completing the project. The Greenhouses are located in Paraquita Bay on the main island of Tortola, the district Hon Pickering represents in Parliament.
To date, the Greenhouses are still not complete. While testifying before the House of Assembly’s Standing Finance Committee for the deliberation of the 2016 Budget, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour Ronald F. Smith-Berkeley told the body that to make the Greenhouses functional, it will take another $1.5M.
He was being questioned at the time by Deputy Speaker of the HoA and Fifth District Representative Hon Delores Christopher. When asked by Hon Christopher what the $1.5M would cover, the Permanent Secretary told the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) the monies would cover irrigation, computerisation, replacement of the covering, as well as labour for removing same.
Government land @ Paraquita Bay being used for Free
When asked by Hon Alvera Maduro-Caines (R6) whether the lands at Paraquita Bay that farmers utlised were provided free of cost, or if they are paid for, the Chief Agricultural Officer (CAO) Bevin Braithwaite told the SFC “I am not aware of anyone paying for the land at Paraquita Bay.”
However, Mr Braithwaite told the committee the land has been assigned to persons for farming and there are plans to put leases in place, however, he did not indicate whether the plots used by farmers on crown land at Paraquita Bay would continue to be free of cost once they become lease lands.
Junior Minister for Trade and Investment Promotion Hon Marlon A. Penn (R8) inquired whether any lands were left for farming, however, Mr Braithwaite responded that there were no more lands left at Paraquita Bay for farming.
The Junior Minister Hon Penn asked how many persons had farm lands in Paraquita Bay and how many were being utilised, to which the CAO stated that there were 40 lots assigned to subsidised farming in Paraquita Bay. Mr Brathwaite further stated “all farm lands were being untilised.”
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15 Responses to “$1.5M needed to make Greenhouses operational- SFC Report”
Bevin telling l**s all the plots are not been used