The People’s Republic of China, being aware of Climate Change and its effects, which continue to pose a challenge for the Ministry of Agriculture in the propagation of plants, donated, through its counterparts here at the Embassy, two semi-automated greenhouses that will be used as part of the Ministry’s Protection Agriculture Initiative.
Protective Agriculture, which forms part of the Ministry’s National Food Security and Mitigation Response Plan, is the cultivation of crops in a controlled environment, encouraging adequate growth and performance of crop yields.
“It is my pleasure to hand over two sets of greenhouses to the Ministry of Agriculture on behalf of the Chinese Embassy. This is part of China’s assistance to Grenada’s agricultural sector since the outbreak of COVID-19,” said His Excellency and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China, Dr. Zhao Yongchen.
The Chinese Ambassador handed over the greenhouses during a short ceremony at the Chinese Embassy at Maurice Bishop Highway, on August 20, 2020. The significant contribution these greenhouses will make towards improving crop production was detailed by Minister for Agriculture, Hon Yolande Bain-Horsford.
“As the Ministry places much emphasis on increasing production,” she said, “we are mindful of challenges brought on by climate change and the need for us to continue to produce food throughout the year.”
The Agriculture Minister continued, saying, “We believe that these greenhouses, when installed at the propagation station, will serve as a reference point for the implementation of the Protective Culture Technology component of the National Food Security Mitigation and Response Plan, as the many lessons learnt can be used to improve the efficiency of the process going forward.”
These greenhouses will be erected at the Mirabeau Propagation Station to assist with crop production there. Manager of the station, Allison Haynes, foresees a difference in propagation results.
She said, “Weather and climate has a direct influence on the propagation of quality plants and now that we have received these semi-automated greenhouses, we will have an environment with some degree of control, where we can control some elements of the weather and so that we will be able to produce better quality plants. It would also lower our mortality rate and we will also have an increased area to produce more plants.”
