Agriculture! Oh Agriculture!

By Trevor Wanliss

Agriculture!, Oh Agriculture!, what a stupendous abyss has it fallen into. There was a time in Jamaica when agriculture with its utility, the enjoyment with much pride, was the epitome of economic success. The desire of men to be engaged in it had no bounds. Now a days the farmers are down trodden. When it's not by abuse from the Agriculture minister himself, it's from the government that they elected to assist and protect them.

The Minister of Agriculture has destroyed the will of many of the people to work by a contemptible comment that was reported in the Jamaica Gleaner of JULY 16th 1998. He condemned Jamaicans in a speech at the Jamaica Conference Center as the " laziest people on earth". He owes the Jamaican workers an apology; he does not know Jamaicans well enough. Such laziness as he spoke his mind might have been in confusion with the practiced policy of the Michael Manley administration, when they PAID PEOPLE NOT TO WORK, AND CALLED IT a CRASH PROGRAM, they destroyed the Social Domestic Living Standard of the Jamaican Society.

The production of and sugar cane has dwindled over the years. Small farmers suffer even more as they have been faced with extremely bad roads when transporting their produce from the field. The high cost of transportation, the sudden government attachment of GCT charges gives these farmers no desire to produce more than sustenance crops.

Yes, with the gait of a Hippopotamus, Jamaica's traditional vehicle of livelihood has been destroyed. The solution is to charge and fire all these reprobates, whom are only interested in stuffing their pockets while blaming farmers.

[Get in touch with Financial Analyst, Trevor Wanliss who is the Envoy/Coordinator for the JLP in North America, P.O. Box 2092 Stone Mtn. Ga. 30086 and become a direct Overseas member]