Dominica set to build 50 boats, reconstruct three fish landing sites under EALCRP

Roseau, Dominica: Dominica is all set to build 50 boats and reconstruct three fish landing sites under the “Emergency Agricultural Livelihoods and Climate Resilience Project.” For the project, the contracts were signed on Friday to enhance the farmers with resilience approach. 

The signing marks the start of key deliverables under the Fisheries component of the project and the contract will also feature the construction of the Abattoir. The project entails traditional agriculture as well as livestock and fisheries. 

More specifically, the fisheries sector will fall under component A1 of the entire project. Post Hurricane Maria government made a strategic decision to contract from the World Bank a US$25 million or EC$66 million for the restoration of the agriculture sector including Fisheries. 

The component AI will invest or is investing 5.4 million for the restoration of fisheries livelihoods and an additional 2 million from the government of Dominica will be used for the contingency emergency respond component. 

The component is ususally refers to as C for the World Bank as a response to COVID-19. There are initiatives and the first initiative included the 5.4 under the first component and again with the new mechanism post covid the government allocated the investment into the fishery sector amounting to US$2 million through these direct investments. 

Now, the government is creating the enabling environment for a robust and resilient sector as articulated in the overall vision for resiliency. The fisheries sector is considered much more than industry as it is a way of life for the economy and a heritage. 

The government asked the citizens to protect and preserve the sector by providing the means for adaptation to transition under modern technology and meeting National and International Food Safety Standards. 

With the investment, the government is ensuring that the vital fisheries sector can withstand the impact of the climate change while resorting production capacity and improving fisherfolk livelihoods. 

A special focus will also be put on food security and the potential for an improved contribution to GDP through its exports. To this end, several strategic interventions have been implemented in addressing gaps and challenges in key areas of human resource capacity infrastructure.