St Thomas AgroPark was the flagship, another Roger Clarke disaster in the making

Roger Clarke was a failure as agricultural minister in the 1990’s, the sector declined year after year and only began to show signs of recovery in the short period Christopher Tufton was placed at that Ministry.

Having failed so miserably , the same Minister was an abject failure before was once again placed at that ministry in 2012. Roger Clarke is a likeable person, I like his spirit but he in an absolutely poor performer in this ministry and should have never been place back there.

As part of the GOJ agreement with the IMF, the establishment of Agro Park was being touted as the pillar on which Jamaica’s economic growth will be built, but like most things with the PNP is all hot air and nothing else.

Here is what the Minster had to say about the establishment of the Agro Parks

The agriculture minister Roger Clarke says the Government’s plan to establish nine agro parks has been oversubscribed. Mr Clarke told a Gleaner Editors’ Forum that the agro parks have ignited a new spirit among people wanting to go into agriculture.

“Oversubscribed, oversubscribed, it is amazing,” he proudly declared. “These agro parks we have been speaking about have ignited a new spirit of people wanting to go into agriculture.”

All three are due to fully come on stream by the end of the financial year, with the St. Thomas operation being flagship project.

 

I highlighted the last sentence above, because of the nature and the impact that statement carries.

Now how can your flagship project become a complete failure just a year after it began.

1. Why  was the proper management not put in place to ensure success
2. Why weren’t the farmers better managed, to ensure success of the project
3. Why did the flagship project fail if the proper management systems were in place.
4. If your flagship project fails, what are the chances of success in the other projects.

I repeat, the PNP are the top of their game with PR and getting people to buy into their ideas,  but once it gets to implementation and management, they are absolutely the worst performers and this partially explains why Jamaica continues to suffer from lack of economic growth year after year.

I know they will jump to blame the poor farmer for not following their advice, but we went into this knowing the material we are working with and given that information, the management is woefully lacking but perfectly in line with the way the PNP and its operatives operate, knowing their PR people can easily explain away their incompetence.

Relevant links

http://cmslocal.gleanerjm.com/content/agro-parks-oversubscribed-clarke

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Ministry-says-Agri-Parks-up-and-running

http://jamaica-gleaner.mobi/gleaner/20130711/news/news7.php