Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Farmers need market square back! Gov’t criticised for inaction

Farmers need market square back! Gov’t criticised for inaction

Opposition Leader Marlon Penn has criticised the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) administration for what he described as its lack of action regarding the reconstruction of the proposed market square development and the overall treatment of farmers and fisherfolk in the territory.

Speaking on the National Democratic Party’s (NDP) Radio last evening, Penn said the government tore down the previous market square and promised farmers a new one. However, that is yet to come to fruition.

He said he is hopeful that highlighting this would mobilise the government as it is the farmers who are suffering.

Penn noted the displacement of farmers because he predicts that the extended absence of market infrastructure or a reliable water source will have a damaging impact on agriculture in the territory.

Paquita Bay Farmers still need assistance


He added that the government previously highlighted that it delivered water to Paraquita Bay but Penn said farmers are still without the necessities to get things going.

The Opposition Leader also touched on the issue of food insecurity that has been affecting the territory since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and is expected to be exacerbated by the ongoing war in Europe.

“We talk about the war, and it is going to have a ripple effect on us here in the Virgin Islands because the issue of food security is going to come full circle on us now. The issue of ensuring that we can maintain ourselves as much as we can is going to come full circle because the reality is that BVI imports more than 95 per cent of the goods that it needs to survive,” Penn said.

COVID grant to farmers, fishers not an investment


Referring to the $6 million invested in the agriculture and fisheries sector during the heights of the pandemic, Penn said people are using the term ‘invested’ loosely.

“’Invested’ means that you would invest in infrastructure, invested in making sure you have a plan and a process to ensure you get the necessary food security mechanism in place for our people. That wasn’t done,” the Opposition Leader argued.

“What we saw was monies given out to cronies and persons who are close to the administration who don’t even fish or farm. Now you are talking about the infrastructure that is necessary, now that we have seen the potential for inflation, the potential for scarcity in food security, when we should have used that money for infrastructure, used that money to build legitimate fishers and farmers,” the NDP Leader added.

Penn also noted the budget does not have a lot of money available for farming. He said that is why Minister of Works Kye Rymer used COVID as the reason the market square project cannot move forward.

“There is no money in place to move it forward. We have no money in place to address the issue of the fishermen in our territory because there are only $50,000 budgeted in capital expenditure to address the fishing in the territory. We don’t have a fishing complex, it was destroyed and bulldozed,” he said.

Lavity Stoutt wouldn’t recognise this VIP


Penn said there are no clear plans or vision to move the complex forward. He also criticised the timing of the Food Security and Sustainability Bill being brought before the House of Assembly.

“We are now seeing wherein the fourth year of this administration term, they are now talking about moving the bill, the Fishing and Farming Act Food Security Bill to the House of Assembly, four years in,” the NDP Leader said.

“I think the late Honourable H Lavity Stoutt if he saw this VIP, he wouldn’t recognise it. This is not Lavity’s VIP. It is visionless and clearly has no priorities, clearly no focus on moving forward. The key elements that we need to secure our people, food security and ensure that we prioritise projects that make our economy move again, we are not seeing it with this administration,” Penn added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
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
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×