St Bess farmer gets her donkey

Prime Minister Andrew Holness made good on a promise to provide Dionne Blake, female farmer from Cornwall district in St Elizabeth,with a donkey to transport her goods.

Last Friday, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Floyd Green and Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, J. C. Hutchinson, travelled to the rural farming community to hand over the animal, which she named 'Prosperity', and farming equipment.

Holness, who was overseas on government business, joined the presentation remotely.

The prime minister had made a commitment to assist the farmer in acquiring the animal so as to travel to her farm and transport produce and other items. Blake, who cultivates pumpkin, sorrel, corn, peanuts and rears chickens, had appealed for support when the prime minister visited the parish recently.

Additionally, she received a backpack pesticide sprayer and poultry defeathering equipment, as well as a one-year scholarship for two of her children who are attending secondary school.

In addressing the handover ceremony, Holness said he not only wanted to provide the pack animal but also the necessary inputs that would encourage Blake and her family to continue to make a "meaningful livelihood from agriculture".

He pointed out that rural advancement is an important part of the development agenda in fostering economic growth and enhancing the quality of life of the rural population.

"[We hope] you work to make your life easier and give your children a better future. So again, you don't know how happy we are to be able to provide you with this assistance," Holness said.

On Friday, Green pledged to place the community road under the Farm Road Programme, with the intent of rehabilitating the infrastructure this financial year.

In addition, he lauded farmers from the area for continuing to provide "some of the best produce in the country".

He assured them that the ministry, through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority, will continue to lend its full support.

Blake thanked the prime minister and the Government for delivering on the promise of the donkey, that will now ease the burden of transporting her farm produce.

"This is the thing that I asked for, Prosperity, to help me to ease the pressure that I bear every day to buy [and transport] a bag of chicken feed. So now, this donkey will make it easier for me," she pointed out.