HAITIANS SOLD $45 Million in Agricultural Produce in 2 Years

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that despite the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, the economy is showing signs of recovery.

Senator Hector John has confirmed that most of this produce comes from his constituency of Salisbury.  As every morning hundreds of Haitians can be seen going to the farms in the hills of his community.

Speaking during a recent cabinet press conference, the finance minister announced that although the economy has not gotten back to where it was pre-pandemic, progress is being made.  While he notes that the economy is not doing as bad as it was in the early stage of the pandemic, he disclosed that we’re not bringing in the revenue that we were bringing in at the same period in  2015.

“But we are seeing progress,” Skerrit stated. “We are seeing improvement in the economy, and of course  we are marking this from the revenues coming from the income tax and the value-added tax.”

Another sign of growth in the economy he noted was the $45 million sent out by Haitian nationals who reside here in Dominica, during the past two years.

“To also say to the Dominican public when we complain that there is no money in the economy or there are no jobs, the record shows that just Haitian nationals sent out 

• 22 million dollars in 2020 via money gram and western union,” he stated. “22 million dollars in COVID-19 period
• and in 2019 they sent out 23 million dollars. 

So I wanted to put  this important piece of fact so that people appreciate that we may not be where we want but  there are opportunities for us as Dominicans to do so.”

Notwithstanding the challenges of the economy, the head of Government emphasized that his government has continued to honour its responsibility.  

• “We have also maintained consistent payment to the national employment programme 
• to the 70 and over allowance, 
• notwithstanding the fact that there may be one of two students in between who may sometimes are not dealt with administratively in terms of the payments of the  school fees, 
• we have paid them for this financial year about 22 million dollars to students studying overseas.”

He went on to commend residents for what he has labelled as “industriousness” in the face of the pandemic.

“People have adapted as a result of COVID-19 and you have seen people change their business model. They have brought in new businesses and my hope and prayer is that we will see these things continue with us as a legacy of COVID-19,” Skerrit said.

The Prime Minister further stressed the importance for citizens to provide support to those types of enterprises going forward.