Preparation for banana farmers

Last week Monday and Tuesday ah had to go up to Dickson/Obrien’s Valley and Mahoe/Fergusson Valley to look at some lands, Banana lands at that.

There was ah time when ever ah made that trip up the coast, from the time ah leave Peruvian Vale was nothing else but healthy looking Banana field after Banana Field on both sides ah the Highway. And don’t talk bout the Interior Roads thru Mespo, Lauders, Lowmans, Greggs and so on, man it was ah joy to watch them Banana fields running down them mountain slopes. {{more}} But now all ah them fields look like death pass thru, ‘member how ole people uses to say: “Marsah King dead grass grow ah he door step”! Well ah don’t want to say that Banana, that was once King ah the crops, is dead; but ah could tell yuh, nuff grass growing all thru he fields. Ah see ah lot ah abandoned fields, Bananas yes, but no longer healthy looking, grass tek over the crop.

Then ah had ah chat with ah few Farmers and it is Pat-ate-ache. One Farmer said he was in Bananas when it was ah penny ah pound; he was in Bananas when it peaked at forty-five cents ah pound, those were the great days; but from that time, the price kept dropping, it’s now eighteen cents. Every commodity that he got to buy in the shop, street and store, the price gone up, except his Bananas.

Ah try to remember me-self if there is any thing, goods, crop, machine, matches, oil, or whatever where the price fell like Banana. And me memory remind me yes, two crops, Caribbean and African Sugar, and Caribbean and African Bananas. Isn’t that eye-run-ache? Every other country is willing to subsidized their Farmers’ produce, so that the Farmers and dey family can live ah decent life, except we. No matter what subsidy our Farmers get, they tek-home pay-cheque not only remains the same, but getting threats of being terminated, soon!

Oh it does sound so one-dah-full to hear how Bananas is the most pop-yuh-law fruit in the world, and that Windward Islands Bananas is the nicest. But nobody seems to care that the Windward Islands Farmers have become slaves again; hard wuk, high quality crops that will look good pon the shelf to please Marsah, and in the end no reward.

The Windward Islands Banana Farmer has to pay his Labourers five times as much as ah Latin Banana Farmer pays his Labourers. Yes they say we pay the highest foh wages and foh utilities, our Bananas is the sweetest, but still our Farmers get the least returns. And yuh want to tell me in this month ah August that we celebrating Slavery Abolish or is it Ah-bawl-itch! Calypso Monarch Sulle got to sing over his Reparation Song foh the Banana Farmers.

Ah hear/see Arm-in and Tookey Bowman on TV, then the cheer-man Ryan and man-ha-jaw Grant again on TV talking Bananas. Ah was hoping that de Come-red or the Minister ah Agriculture would ah tek the first step and go give the Farmers ah final word ah encouragement; but every body looking foh projects that could win elections. So they lef that foh Arm-in to do.

Ah fraid that our Banana is like ah patient on the Hospital bed waiting foh Doctor to come. But Doctor after examining the patient, shake he head, push up his mouth and tell de Nurse: “This fellar done serve his time, he is now ole and exhausted and ready to go, Give him ah mild injection when ever the pain comes on, that will keep him quiet till he passes on”. Maybe ah injection is the answer, injection of direct cash in hands to the Farmers based on production is what will bring Banana back to life.

LIE-ZA MEKS AH POLE

Me ears and them start ah hurt me with elections back-anal talk. Lie-Za say NDP was doing well two weeks ago, but the debate shift to de Come-red and the Earport at Argyle and the Rabacca Bridge. Her polls right now show firm fight foh all three Leeward seats with Slater sitting the most comfortable. Firm fight foh the three Kingstown seats. Mike Browne will keep his seat until ah candidate is named.

Linton got ah slight lead on Bug-in. Scumbo will get washed up by the Beach. Walters will have ah hard fight blowing that Horn.

Won’t it be something if Bawl-come mek de Come-red bawl?

Gumry Daniel right now has no fight so too is Girl-in. NDP will hold the Grenadines. Ah will wait before ah respond to Lie-Za’s Pole!

And with that, ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.