Last week, the area rep for Stann Creek West declared frankly that the citrus industry was in a terminal decline, plainly saying that that it might one day not exist.
Now, from what we've heard this may be widely accepted conventional wisdom but just the public enunciation of it is a major blow to the south because citrus has historically been the lifeblood a large segment of the community. That prompted the area rep for Dangriga on Friday to insist in the House of Representatives that citrus isn't going anywhere. It also prompted a press release by the Citrus Growers Association.
For context, here are the comments Rodwell Ferguson made a week ago:
Rodwell Ferguson, Area Rep, Stann Creek West
"I born and grow in Pomona valley. When I was a child it was like a town because it was in the heart of the citrus industry. Over the last fifteen years, you start to see a decline of the citrus industry. That caused people to move away from the region and then go to look where employment is. So right now most people are moving to Silk Grass where the company has moved and people are looking for opportunities. If anything new comes, then we will accept it cause there is a complete decline of the citrus industry. This year, I can remember when I was working with the company, it peaked eight million boxes one year, this year, it will be less than one million boxes of production which is totally dismal."
Reporter:
"Do you think there will ever come a time when we will lose the citrus industry, like it will no longer exist?"
Rodwell Ferguson, Area Rep, Stann Creek West
"Well it's about almost to deceased because if you come through the valley right now, everybody has pushed down their citrus to plan coconut or to plant pineapple or something like that. They are coming off oranges completely."
