A social media call to "Revive Agriculture Again"

It was on July 14th 2016, that an anonymous article appeared on DNO 'online news' under the above title. Two weeks later, the subject of agriculture was very relevant as part of the National Budget presentation in Parliament. I reproduce here the ENTIRE article /DNO news item since it is so relevant and, quite frankly, very close to my own thinking.

"While it may be true that Agriculture does face a lot of challenges, I remain optimistic that there is hope for the sector. I believe that every person affiliated with or actively involved in the sector should make a conscious decision to contribute to its growth. From my research, I believe that the issue goes far beyond just a lack of markets and feeder roads. Instead, it is a chain of small and huge wrong doings by the parties involved.

How do we address issues as it relates to the inconsistency and unreliability of the suppliers? Can we regulate pricing so that everyone benefits mutually? Is there something that we can do to predetermine demand and supply thus reducing product wastage? These are the questions that the relevant authorities should be asking.

Do we really know who are the ones affected in all this? The retail outlets struggle to sell input supplies because the suppliers don't have enough buying power or the government directly competes with them. As a result, there becomes a lack of adequate food supply, and the hucksters and export agencies and food consumers struggle to get adequate food for sale and consumption and the country continues to struggle.

The question remains, how is everyone going to work together so that the country gets out of this struggle? It is by taking responsibility and starting do things right and do the right things. The suppliers have to make a decision to brand, advertise, market their produce, while the consumers have to make a decision to consume local and eat healthy. The government has to decide to reduce importation and regulate prices across the board among other things. It's simply a matter where everyone understands his or her role in the revival process and then to start acting now. And sooner than later, we're going to have a happy, healthy Agriculture!