Trade & Agriculture Ministries seeking closer collaboration to export fresh produce following Maria

​The Trade and Agriculture Ministries are said to be seeking closer collaboration, in order to export fresh produce, following Hurricane Maria.
 
Trade Minister Ian Douglas stated on Friday 8th December 2017, that although the sector was devastated, they do not want to lose market shares as they rebuild.
 
Douglas said “We want to strengthen our collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Agricultural Sector, because we are responsible for the marketing of fresh produce, particularly out of Dominica. We do not want to lose our market share in the interim, and we also want to reassure our markets, that we want to be ready and open for business as soon as possible”.
 
He was happy that the Agriculture Ministry encouraged farmers to get back to their fields, and added that very soon, the Ministries of Trade and Agriculture will soon be meeting, to make plans for exporting products.
 
Meanwhile, Douglas is urging those who vend agricultural produce on the streets of the capital to return to the Roseau Market, now that it has reopened after the passage of Hurricane Maria.
 
He stated that street vending in Roseau is something that the government does not want to encourage because of the lack of proper sanitary facilities.
 
DEXIA announced last week that the market has reopened, but also stated that half a million dollars is needed to get the facility working up to the required standards.