St. John’s Antigua: January 18, 2010 …The Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) is putting mechanism in place as the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing & the Environment seeks to bolster production, using a three –pronged goal oriented approach to produce top quality foods to world standards, utilizing Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), while ensuring that agriculture regains and retains its’ proper place in our economy.

 ADC’s General Manager Edmeade Samuel, said, the department is contributing substantively to our Gross Domestic Products (GDP) through the provision of meaningful employment.  He added that ADC is in for a technological boost, in the early part of 2010, as several pieces of harvesting equipment have been ordered to enhance reaping capability and substantially reduce labour cost.

 Listed among the inputs, Samuel disclosed, are Mobile irrigator, Carrot and Onion Harvester, Sweet potato Harvester, Carrot & Onion head cutter and Field Sanitation Unit.

 This, field Sanitation Unit, the GM said, is a welcome addition for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification.

 In the meantime, ADC, has reclaimed forty (40) acres of its lands from a private citizen, and of that portion, 15 acres have been put under cotton production. Additionally, Samuel said, “an extensive survey of ADC land was undertaken and completed in order to establish boundaries to clearly identify land use by tenants.”

 He continued, for 2009, a yield of over four thousand (4,000) lbs of cotton was realized, a four-fold increase over the previous year.

 The department has also assisted several farmers and gardeners in land preparation.  The GM also outlined, that there are several projects that the department has in the pipeline.  Samuel stated, so far, approximately thirty (30) acres being cleared for development of a banana plantation at Guiana’s.

 Also efforts are being made for the rehabilitation of greenhouses at Guianas for the production of regular and cherry tomatoes in the off-season, as well as other crops. Six (6) acres allotted to greenhouse production of tomatoes and peppers, five (5) acres allotted to development of a banana orchard in part, and for animal husbandry in the other and another thirty (30) acres of land Identified for an Avocado project.

 Samuel, said the department, to date is functioning with the objectives one of which is to establish a commercially modern farm with affordable technology and to substantially reduce labour costs.

 Among the other objectives are to maintain close linkage with Central Marketing Corporation (CMC), as well as Pesticide Control Board (PCB) to export selected crops regionally and beyond, to assist in supplementing the School Meals Programme and the local Market, to be a leading contributor to the national Food Plan and to supplement the local production of some commodities when targets are below the required acreage and to reduce the importation of food that is grown locally, o manage the production and marketing of cotton within ADC, to develop a nursery to produce seedlings for internal) and sale if necessary and to be GAPS certified and to keep a breast of changes and regulations affecting the industry, especially pesticides recalls, bans.

 Samuel said that, the sector however, has registered substantial drop in yield of the major crops, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions in latter part of last year due to the severe drought from May to October.

 Some cotton planting were also delayed because of weather conditions (lack of moisture) and lack of alternative irrigation method as alluded to in previous paragraph.