Above: Grenada

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Grenada says it is placing “particular emphasis” on boosting production of nutmeg and cocoa in the country.

The renewed push is coming under the auspices of the Farm Labour Subsidy Programeme, which will reportedly give 10 days to service to farms in every parish in Grenada.

Agriculture Minister Roland Bhola said Grenada’s agriculture sector was still working to recover from the impact of Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

“We still have a significant amount of acreage that is still left unclear,” he said. “After Hurricane Ivan, persons have not gone back to the land, and when you analyze it, we may be tempted to say that these people are lazy and probably they don’t care.”

Grenada is rehabilitating about 50 acres of nutmeg and replanting another 30 acres.

“As you know 80% of our nutmeg was affected after the passage of Hurricane Ivan, so there is a dire need on our part to ensure that we continue to resuscitate the nutmeg sub sector”,said Daniel Lewis, Grenada’s Chief Agriculture Officer.

Lewis said the country had high hopes for the potential of cocoa, which actually surpassed its pre-Ivan level in production last year.