Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Jul 25, 2025

Family uses COVID-19 grant to help open poultry farm @ Josiah’s Bay

Family uses COVID-19 grant to help open poultry farm @ Josiah’s Bay

A new poultry farmer officially opened its doors last weekend after injecting cash received from the sometimes criticised Government’s COVID-19 grants to farmers and fisher folks.

The new facility is called ‘Berick and Son’s Poultry Farm’ and is located in Josiah’s Bay on the main island of Tortola.

According to Premier and Minster of Finance Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7), it’s “money well spent.”

One of the proprietors, Mr Kertis Lettsome aka ‘Big Papa’ told JTV Channel 55 on December 5, 2022, that himself and father pooled their Covid-19 grants received from the government as a down payment for their poultry building.


From left: Proprietors of Berick and Son’s Poultry Farm, Mr Berick Lettsome and Mr Kertis Lettsome aka ‘Big Papa’ with Premier and Minster of Finance Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7).

COVID-19 grant really came in good for me’- Lettsome

“I am going to say something that I never told anyone. Actually, we got two grants; one was in my name, and one was in my father’s name [Berick Lettsome] and I took them all and deposit them and sent them to the factory where I purchased this building from.”

The businessman further explained that at the time of the pandemic prices were going up on everything, “So I was able to buy the steel before it had actually gone too far that I couldn’t actually purchase it. So, it [COVID-19] really came in good for me.”

Mr Lettsome said the remainder of the funding came from Republic Bank BVI. He noted the bank told them it was the first time if was financing an agricultural project.

According to Mr Lettsome, Republic Bank said it to develop a new policy to accommodate his loan request and has since allotted $20M for others to access for agricultural purposes.
‘Berick and Son’s Poultry Farm’ is located in Josiah’s Bay on the main island of Tortola.


Food Security

Premier Wheatley in congratulating the Lettsome family alluded to the fact that they had lost all their properties to the hurricanes of 2017 and had decided to embark on this new venture, “and of course this is what we want to see in the agriculture sector in the BVI. We want to see this type of investment.”

He said such an investment plays a part in achieving food security for the Virgin Islands.

“We understand that persons have been doing their particular thing on their particular level, and we support that as well but it’s this type of investment that will take us into the future and that would be able to give us food security. We know what’s happening in the world today and we want to be more prepared than we are and it’s this type of facility that will help.”

Premier Wheatley said he was pleased that the Lettsome family was able to benefit from COVID-19 grants and make a deposit on his investment.

The family also benefited from the exemption on agricultural equipment.

Berick and Son’s Poultry Farm will be rearing broilers, which will be sold to K&K Poultry Farm. The new poultry farm will be starting off with twelve thousand birds but has the capacity to rear some twenty-four thousand.

Berick and Son’s Poultry Farm will be rearing broilers, which will be sold to K&K Poultry Farm. The new poultry farm will be starting off with twelve thousand birds but has the capacity to rear some twenty-four thousand.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
×