Twelve (12) boats valued at $642,000 were handed over this week to fisher folks from various communities in Dominica who were negatively impacted by Hurricane Maria.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy, Jullan Defoe who was addressing a handing over ceremony held in Layou stated 12 out of 54 boats have been delivered and an additional 34 boats will be delivered in the upcoming weeks
“Today[it] is just 12 [boats] and there is a list of 12 beneficiaries,” he said.
According to Defoe, these interventions are not just about being empathetic to those who were impacted by adverse historic events but a strategic–and costly–decision by an empathetic Labour Party government to restore a fisheries sector.
He said Post-Maria, the government of Dominica made a strategic decision to contract, from the World Bank, a loan of US $25 million for the restoration of the agriculture sector in Dominica, including fisheries.
“And this project is now known as the Dominica Emergency Agricultural Livelihood and Climate Resilience Project,” he stated. “So it’s not a World Bank boat, and we had it for the homes and I educated my fishermen, it’s not a World Bank boat. The funding came from the World Bank as a loan.”
He continued, “So the World Bank was not just so generous to come into the Commonwealth of Dominica and give the beneficiaries a boat. I clarify that all the time but you can never do it enough because you still hear people repeat these mistakes.”
Defoe went on to add that from this first package there was an initial investment of specifically 5.4 million for the restoration of fisheries livelihood, “then as response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to further build resilience in the agriculture and fisheries sector, this government sought additional funding for the contingency emergency response component, “again another World Bank mechanism made available for the World Bank, valued as an additional 21 million dollars that is on top of 25 million or 66 million EC.”
He revealed that a total of 185 beneficiaries are benefiting from interventions implemented over the past five years having received support through four major types of interventions in four various phases.
“In phase one, we saw the procurement and distribution of 108 outboard engines. 42 of them were four-stroke, 100 horsepower engines, and 66 of them were four-stroke, 50 horsepower engines…,” Defoe explained. “The deliberate decision to transition from two-stroke to four-stroke was simply to reduce carbon emission and so that Dominica in its own contribution…reporting to the world, will show what it is doing.”
He continued, “In the second phase, the canoes were at a cost of $72,000 and went to a well-known canoe maker in the Kalanago territory…. we saw the provision of boat building training to 20 boat builders by an international naval architect from India.”
Moreover, Defoe added that in phase three there was the provision of tools, equipment, and other materials to these boat builders so they improve occupational safety as well as an upgrade in the rehabilitation of five boat building sheds.
“So at the end of the day, the five core boat builders that we had, they were further assisted, not just giving contracts only, but enhancing the work environment and the area, so that they could undertake this work,” Defoe explained.
He said in phase four there was the construction of 53 fiberglass reinforced plastic boats at a cost of 2.5 million dollars, for building the boats, which consisted of five contracts.
Finance Minister Dr. Irving McIntyre said the growth and development of Dominica’s fisheries sector is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to diversify and expand the economy in traditional as well as modern sectors.
“We continue to be challenged by tropical weather systems that delay our efforts, postpone our progress, and depletes our revenue,” he said. “Hurricane Maria wiped out 226 % of our GDP, forcing the country to start all over again.”
He indicated that the post-Maria recovery has not been easy, “but we continue to seek to achieve a better life for our people.”
Dr. McIntyre emphasized that the demands for social needs are in direct competition with the need to continue to invest in the productive sectors.
“Last week, we signed contracts to the tune of $5.25 million EC. Many of the contracts were signed in favor of the fishery sector,” he noted. “ If we can continue to grow our local fish sector, we will be able to import less foreign fish products, especially processed stock, and eat more of our fresh stock.” Adding that this will generate a greater level of revenue for fisher folks and their families, bringing about more money in circulation.
Meanwhile, Minister of Housing, Land & Urban Development, Melissa Poponne-Skerrit who represented Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, said fishing has always been more than a livelihood for many people in Dominica.
“It is a heritage, a way of life passed from one generation to the next. It is the rhythm of the tide, the strength of the net, and the courage to face the open sea,” she said.
She asserted that when the government seeks loans, it’s not just to help rebuild homes, bridges and roads, but it’s also to build back lives, and to build back livelihoods, and to help put money back into the public’s pockets.
“These boats are not just made of fiberglass. They are vessels of possibility and new possibilities,” she asserted. “They represent the promise of economic independence, of food security for all our families, and the prosperity of our communities.”