Bishop Cline was at the time speaking about the importance of food and agriculture in the Virgin Islands while a guest of the My BVI Radio Show on February 23, 2021.

Greater demand for food - Bishop Cline

“When all of your population have to eat food, probably 90% will not, whether [they] use CDB Oil or use Marijuana recreationally,” he said.

Bishop Cline said regarding food; hotel, restaurants and all homes in the Virgin Islands use everything that is considered cash crops.

“There is no supermarket that is going to put cannabis on the shelves, so you cannot ignore your farming, cannot ignore your cash crops,” he said.

Pointing to counties like Jamaica with soursop and Mexico with avocados, he said the Virgin Islands needs a similar cash crop and to focus on fishing and farming, “Not that we cannot do cannabis, but it should not take priority over farming and fishing,” he said.

Pointing to counties like Jamaica with soursop and Mexico with avocados, he said the Virgin Islands need a similar cash crop and to focus on fishing and farming, 'Not that we cannot do cannabis, but it should not take priority over farming and fishing,' he said.

Need for a 'champion' of agriculture

The Bishop called for local agriculture to be championed and more focus to be pushed in the area.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture, Dr the Honorable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) currently has oversight for the sector; however, Mr Cline remarked that the area would need more purview.

Bishop Cline suggested that the champion of such a cause should not necessarily be the subject minister, rather for another individual or consulting group to execute the vision, then report to the Minister on progress.