Agri ministry committed to research and development

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has noted, with concern, the Letter of the Day in The Gleaner of September 21, 2021, headlined ‘Save Grove Place Research Station’, that erroneously states that “sites for research work, such as Caenwood and Orange River, Bodles and Grove Place ... are all now closed, plus there has been the abortion of Montpelier”.

We wish to point out that contrary to what was said, Bodles, Orange River and Montpelier Research stations, which are managed by the ministry, are all fully operational and have never been closed.

In fact, as part of our modernisation thrust, the Government has been executing a massive development of our research stations under a $1-billion Bodles Redevelopment Programme over the past three years.

This includes newly built and refurbished facilities, such as a genetic preservation centre, a high-tech dairy system, irrigation and road infrastructure, protected agriculture and nursery facilities, pasture and fodder banks, nutrition and chemical laboratories, as well as machinery.

Additionally, the Public Investment Management Secretariat (PIMSEC) has approved a $5.4-billion, 10-year project that is to come on stream shortly, aimed at continuing the work to bring our other research and development facilities to the cutting-edge of technology.

Under the new FACE of food, research is one of the critical pillars towards strengthening the nation’s food security, and in that regard, we remain committed to improving our research capacity.

DERMON SPENCE, JP

Permanent Secretary

Ministry of Agriculture

and Fisheries