Mr. Othlyn Vanterpool, one of the at-large candidates of the Anguilla United Front, is of the view that the importance of food security has been highlighted by the coronavirus which has now appeared on the global stage.
Speaking at a public meeting on March 12, Mr. Vanterpool, Ministerial Assistant in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, said:
“The effects of the coronavirus have brought home to us the reality of the need for our young people, here in Anguilla, and people in general, to look at food security and food availability in a serious way. The fact that this virus has the potential to disrupt shipping and bringing our food to this area, is a serious problem. This is because if the cargo ships cannot come and the containers cannot reach here, you know the problems we will have for food. It is therefore of the utmost importance that we, the people of Anguilla, get back to the soil. Let us start to plant our food. Let us plant and eat what we plant.”
Mr. Vanterpool further said: “We cannot continue to be reliant on food from abroad. I must take this opportunity to commend our farmers who are doing a good job. When you go to The Valley on a Saturday, or to the supermarkets, and you see the food that is produced here in Anguilla, it is of a very high standard; and we must commend them. But we have to encourage them to go further and beyond.
“I also want to tip my hat to our restaurants, hotels and supermarkets because a lot of the food we produce in Anguilla is consumed right here on the island; and they are taking care of our farmers. They must continue to do so because we need them as much as they need us.
“The Anguilla United Front will continue to make food security a priority. To that end, the team at the Department of Agriculture is working hard and, in a short while, this Government will be able to move forward with the agricultural policy we have spoken about. In a short time, that policy will be going to the Executive Council for approval.
“We will be looking at licensing in areas where we can produce. If Anguilla needs a thousand cases of eggs and we can produce 500, we will give licences for another 500. We must allow our producers to come up to speed.
“Another thing in that policy will be concessionary or low rates for water for our farmers. Presently, we have water for our farmers at three cents per gallon. I think this is a good feat with Government working along with the Farmers’ Association. We are also looking in that policy for duty-free concessions on seeds, seedlings, fertilisers, etc.
“We are redistributing Government’ farmlands and making sure that persons, who want to do farming, can get a piece of that land for agriculture. Those who want to do farming should go to the Department of Agriculture to put their names on the list; and we will give preference to women who are now going into agriculture, as well as some of our youth.”
Mr. Vanterpool added: “The Government of Anguilla is also looking seriously at the fishing industry because that, too, is part of the food chain on the island. I am pleased that fishermen are looking at bigger and better boats and we will encourage that. We will also encourage the Government and the suppliers of fuel to sit down and agree on assisting our fishermen. We have also started discussions with regional training organisations so that we can have our fishermen trained in fish-processing, canning and quality control.”
The Ministerial Assistant made the point that food security is of great importance to Anguilla not just at this time when the coronavirus is threatening the island, but at all other times.
