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Poor roads drain St Bess dairy farmers
Published: Monday | January 6, 2014 0 Comments
Sections of the Cabbage Valley Road in North East St Elizabeth. - Photos by Christopher Serju
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Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer
At age 41, Kirk Rodney is much younger than most [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]dairy [COLOR=blue !important]farmers[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]. But six years after taking over the family farm at Cabbage Valley in North East St Elizabeth, he is just about ready to pack in and return to the United States.
High on optimism and plans for expanding the business after taking charge in 2008, he has been frustrated by the very poor road conditions and lack of the requisite support, which has driven more experienced farmers to throw up their operations and lease the land to cane farmers.
The very poor road conditions are the primary concern, with things so bad that vehicles are damaged on a regular basis, including the truck which collects the milk.
Loses milk when it rains
"The cost of repairs and maintenance of our vehicles is extremely high. Every time it rains we just pretty much have our fingers crossed, hoping that we can actually get out of here, or the truck can actually come in for the milk. Several times the truck cannot make it here and we have lost milk," he shared with The Gleaner recently.
"Because of this, we are actually afraid to expand, which is sad, because we have the know-how to produce more but we are afraid that if we go this route we may end up dumping more milk, therefore losing more money."
Member of Parliament Raymond Pryce has come in for a lot of criticism for the failure to have the road fixed. He told The Gleaner that the course is farm road and neither the National Works Agency nor parish council is responsible for maintaining it. He also said it will require an estimated $40 million to repair the road.
Meanwhile, Donovan Stan-berry, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, explained that the road is earmarked for rehabilitation in the next financial year, under the Sugar Transformation Project being funded by the European Union. He said the area now qualifies as part of the sugar belt, and following representation from dairy and cane farmers the decision had been taken to finally have it fixed.
In the meantime, Rodney said the reason for the expansion of cane cultivation in the area is the demise of the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]dairy [COLOR=blue !important]industry[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR].
Of the once-thriving 11 [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]dairy [COLOR=blue !important]farms[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], only three are now still operating, with owners opting to lease the land to cane farmers, which they consider a much safer investment; and Rodney is also eyeing that option.
"I am one of those really thinking about closing my doors because the help or the assistance that we would need, especially from the Government is not there. The government policy is actually working against us," he lamented.
Published: Monday | January 6, 2014 0 Comments
Sections of the Cabbage Valley Road in North East St Elizabeth. - Photos by Christopher Serju
1 2 3 >
Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer
At age 41, Kirk Rodney is much younger than most [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]dairy [COLOR=blue !important]farmers[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]. But six years after taking over the family farm at Cabbage Valley in North East St Elizabeth, he is just about ready to pack in and return to the United States.
High on optimism and plans for expanding the business after taking charge in 2008, he has been frustrated by the very poor road conditions and lack of the requisite support, which has driven more experienced farmers to throw up their operations and lease the land to cane farmers.
The very poor road conditions are the primary concern, with things so bad that vehicles are damaged on a regular basis, including the truck which collects the milk.
Loses milk when it rains
"The cost of repairs and maintenance of our vehicles is extremely high. Every time it rains we just pretty much have our fingers crossed, hoping that we can actually get out of here, or the truck can actually come in for the milk. Several times the truck cannot make it here and we have lost milk," he shared with The Gleaner recently.
"Because of this, we are actually afraid to expand, which is sad, because we have the know-how to produce more but we are afraid that if we go this route we may end up dumping more milk, therefore losing more money."
Member of Parliament Raymond Pryce has come in for a lot of criticism for the failure to have the road fixed. He told The Gleaner that the course is farm road and neither the National Works Agency nor parish council is responsible for maintaining it. He also said it will require an estimated $40 million to repair the road.
Meanwhile, Donovan Stan-berry, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, explained that the road is earmarked for rehabilitation in the next financial year, under the Sugar Transformation Project being funded by the European Union. He said the area now qualifies as part of the sugar belt, and following representation from dairy and cane farmers the decision had been taken to finally have it fixed.
In the meantime, Rodney said the reason for the expansion of cane cultivation in the area is the demise of the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]dairy [COLOR=blue !important]industry[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR].
Of the once-thriving 11 [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]dairy [COLOR=blue !important]farms[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], only three are now still operating, with owners opting to lease the land to cane farmers, which they consider a much safer investment; and Rodney is also eyeing that option.
"I am one of those really thinking about closing my doors because the help or the assistance that we would need, especially from the Government is not there. The government policy is actually working against us," he lamented.
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