Free trade or feared trade? Latin America and Caribbean should collaborate against globalisation
published: Saturday | September 13, 2003
Grant
Below are some highlights from the September third monthly meeting of the Jamaica Agricultural Society at its head office in Kingston.
IN HIS
report to the media at the end of the meeting, JAS president, Senator Norman Grant reported on his visit to Mexico, as a member of a Government team, for a conference of rural producers.
The essence of his presentation made to the conference, he said, was the importance of collaboration between Latin American and Caribbean countries to form a unified front to face the challenges of globalisation.
"We are not afraid of globalisation, but we are concerned over whether it is free trade or feared trade," Senator Grant said.
He said that the essence is that rural producers should not be made to suffer and that developing countries have to find ways to support their rural producers to face the challenges of FTAA/WTO.
He extended an invitation to the Latin American countries to visit next year's Denbigh Agricultural Show in Clarendon.
Special guest at the meeting, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Business Development Centre (JBDC) Valerie Veira, pointed out that the centre had been set up by the Government to stimulate and push business development in Jamaica, but was really suited for small and middle-sized businesses.
She said that the centre does not have the funds, but a network of alliances which can provide funding.
"We're excellent in helping people in getting their products to market and merchandise the products," she added.
The Board has approved PriceWater-house to do an audit of the Society's assets, an exercise which will commence in coming weeks and will cost the society $1.5 million.
Preliminary estimates suggest that JAS assets are just under $1 billion, Sen. Grant said. "The JAS is not a poor organisation, it is a wealthy organisation, but it has not been using its assets for its development in a wholesome and efficient way."
He said that the JAS has approached at least seven companies to contribute towards the project. The society has put up the first $200,000 to mobilise the project. He added that it was one of the most important exercises that the JAS will be involved in.
JAS has also been strengthening its relationship with Food for the Poor, which has given the society 160 cases of water boots to be distributed to farmers through the Association of Branch Societies (ABS) groups.
"The only criteria farmers need to get them is to be a paid up member of the JAS," Senator Grant said. "We will not ask what church or political party, because that is not our business... Any suggestion to give the impression that the JAS is distributing items in a partisan manner is baseless, unfounded and destructive."
The Act to protect farmers from praedial larceny is now before a Joint Select Committee of Parliament and the JAS Praedial Larceny Committee is to be reactivated and will appear before the Parliamentary Committee to expedite the passage of the Act.
The committee will be chaired by Dr. Trevor Dewdney and will include Dr. Omer Thomas, Bob Miller, Donald Berry, Arthur Lawson and A.A. 'Bobby' Pottinger.
"Farmers cannot wait any longer. We need to move at once and get it on the books," the president said.
Resolutions passed affected the state of farm roads in St. Thomas; the use of agricultural lands for housing, a practice which the society wants stopped; and the Eat Jamaican campaign which is scheduled to start in Heritage Week, next month, and run for the next 12 months.
Parish representatives Donald Berry (Portland) and Scott (St. Thomas) expressed their full support for Senator Grant and denounced the statements made in Parliament by Opposition spokesman McDaniel about the leadership of the JAS.
