Words not enough to address food security in VI- Skelton-Cline
The former government consultant has also called on both the Government and the Opposition to unite on the issue of food security for the territory.
Skelton-Cline, never one to mince his words, called on the government to take immediate action, arguing that the time for discussion has passed, linking the broader economic turmoil in the United States to the VI’s fragile position, declaring, “An American economy is our economy.”
Trump Doctrine & Caribbean Preparedness
With this in mind, the commentator stressed the importance of understanding the “Trumpism doctrine” in relation to the Caribbean and Latin America. With the former US president back in office, Skelton-Cline cautioned that unpredictable economic policies could have a cascading effect on smaller territories, particularly those like the VI, which remain heavily dependent on US trade and imports.
Urging policymakers and citizens alike to prepare for economic turbulence, he was adamant, “You read the headlines today, you will notice that the American consumer is becoming more and more despondent and concerned about the state of the economy.”
Skelton-Cline then took direct aim at the government, saying outright, “We must prepare; This is not to make you afraid, this is to arm you, cerebrally, intellectually, but really make you, force you to commit to action.”
Political unity
Meanwhile, acknowledging that Premier and Minister for Finance Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) had recently addressed food insecurity in a press conference, Skelton-Cline made it clear that words were not enough.
As such, he noted the formation of committees and meetings but demanded greater urgency, qualifying his position further, saying, “We need to accelerate the speed at which we are moving on this matter of food insecurity.”
Meanwhile, he also called for an emergency “meeting of the whole House (House of Assembly),” imploring all 13 members of the VI’s legislature to come together and craft a concrete action plan, warning against political division and excessive bureaucracy, urging bipartisan cooperation.
According to Skelton-Cline, “The Opposition don’t need to sit over there just asking a whole bunch of crazy questions; There needs to be agreement and buy-in and coordination in a system.”
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5 Responses to “Words not enough to address food security in VI- Skelton-Cline”
Food insecurity is a VI problem, importing over 80% of its needs, ie, food, appliances, construction materials, furniture, electronics, automobiles, heavy and construction equipment,,etc. The VI with a smaller popuiation back in the day fed itself, exporting surplus to the VI, viz, fish, fruits and vegetables, meat, etc. However,,its population has exploded, demanding more food, with some of its already limited arable land being converted to other uses, ie, housing, etc. To meet to the growing food demand, it has limited choices but to look to imports. The bottom line is that the VI cannot feed itself. Nevertheless, it should take action to reduce its food import bill, lessen the food insecurity impact, keep money circulating in the economy creating a multiplier effect., etc. What can be done? Government needs to invest in agricultural production, incentivizing farming in the VI, employing people who know their ass from a hole in regards to agriculture, ie, working ground, etc, As CSC noted, it is time for actions not words, pretension, etc. Furthermore, to assist with food production, farmers must have access to a stable water supply, seedlings, slips, transportation from farm to market, low/no interest working capital, etc.
Time for all departments to do their jobs. Now is not the time to accept 'favors'.
The BVIslander will soon lose pride for its country, because everything is becoming stacked against us. Especially in hard times like these.