That ‘something’ to which farmer Reginald John referred is the impact of the Grenada Agricultural Information Service (GAIS) on the farming community.

Funded by Republic Bank, the GAIS is a collaborative project involving the Agency for Reconstruction and Development (ARD), the Marketing and National Importing Board (MNIB) and the Ministry of Agriculture.

Mr. John was speaking on the occasion of the official launch of the GAIS on March 9 at Bain’s Hall in Grenville, which was attended by approximately 100 farmers, Minister of Sports, Community Development and Cooperatives Hon. Roland Bhola, Leader of the Opposition Hon. Tillman Thomas, and officials from the ARD, MNIB, Republic Bank, the Peoples Republic of China Agricultural Mission and the Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.

The origin of the GAIS dates back to March, 2006 when Prime Minister Dr. the Rt. Hon. Keith Mitchell called on the ARD to collaborate with the MNIB to ensure farmers have current and reliable information about markets for their produce.

Mr. John said farmers need information “in language we can understand” and also recommended that the GAIS extend its reach to every school.

“We don’t provide enough information about agriculture to our young people,” Mr. John said, adding that the service can help more farmers “commercialize their operations”.

Hon. Roland Bhola, speaking on behalf of Minister of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry and Fisheries Hon. Gregory Bowen, said the GAIS will allow farmers to better allocate scarce resources and accord priority to competing demands.

“The GAIS is a critical addition to the strategic efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture and its Agencies towards improving farm incomes and reducing production and market risks,” Minister Bhola said.

Republic Bank (Grenada) Limited Managing Director Mr. Daniel Roberts, in presenting a cheque for $77,000 (EC) to ARD Director of Economic Recovery Mr. Richard de Lima, said a strong and vibrant agricultural sector is critical to Grenada’s overall development and referred to the GAIS as a ”beacon of hope for our rural communities.”

In outlining the project, Mr. de Lima said the GAIS is intended to serve as a link between consumers and producers. While the information is directed at farmers and fisherfolk, he said it can also assist hotels, restaurants and consumers with their purchasing decisions.

The GAIS has three key components:

1. A Weekly Bulletin to be published in the Grenadian Voice and the Grenada Informer (commencing this week) with farm gate, wholesale and retail prices for:

• Green banana
• Ripe banana
• Cabbage
• Cucumber
• Dasheen
• Lettuce
• Papaya (Paw Paw)
• Plantain
• Pumpkin
• Sweet Potato
• Tomato
• Watermelon

2. A bi-monthly newsletter, and

3. A web portal www.foodandfarmgrenada.com

The first issue of the Food & Farm Grenada Bi-Monthly Newsletter, which was distributed at the launch, includes an update on the Agriculture Enterprise Development Programme of the Ministry of Agriculture, a report on Trade Policy Issues, articles on how to protect bananas from Black Sigatoka, weed control tips, the potential of passion fruit, as well as a recipe from the Grenada Food and Nutrition Council.

Mr. de Lima explained that that the web portal serves as a repository of all the information compiled through the GAIS.

“The web portal also provides an interface to the international market by giving potential importers the necessary information to learn about how they can import commodities from Grenada. In addition, it provides information to exporters, “Mr. de Lima added.