President David Granger on Thursday paid a visit to Mocha Arcadia on the occasion of its 125th anniversary and challenged the residents to invest in their lands like the once-enslaved Africans did after they were emancipated.
According to a Department of Public Information (DPI) release, the President noted that Mocha Arcadia, one of the many villages bought by the once enslaved Africans, was built upon homes, churches, schools and the farm. And with this in mind he called on the villagers to feed themselves with foods they produce, by heading back to the farms.
In his address to the gathering at the Mocha Arcadia Primary School which included recently appointed Director-General in the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, along with several senior government officials, Granger said the anniversary is a landmark and a memorable milestone for the more than 4,000 who occupy the village.
“Vibrant economies are essential to eliminating inequality and poverty and to generating employment, particularly self-employment in this village…it is my belief that this economy – the country’s economy – could be revitalised by village production,” he declared.
He also told his audience that investment is the lifeblood of the economy, adding that even though the government is lending its support in that area through the provision of cottage and micro enterprises, there must be a willingness on the part of the villagers to get up off their chairs and head back to the farms.
“You have to be willing to get off of that white plastic chair and produce the guavas to make the guava jam and guava jelly, to produce the cassava to make cassava bread, to produce the plantains to make the plantain chips. You have to be prepared to help yourselves, and we will help you!”
He further emphasised that “…There must be investment and that investment can come from saving money, and it can come from the diaspora, it can come from a trust between you and Mocha residents who have gone overseas. They can come back and help to revitalise the economy by triggering investment into farming and other enterprises.”
The Head of State explained that his decision to appoint a senior official responsible for manufacturing and marketing and a Minister of Rural Affairs was strategic in developing villages like Mocha Arcadia and assured those present that “…I know what I am doing, and I am very confident that these initiatives will help to make these rural communities more prosperous.”
During the course of the celebrations, several individuals and organisations were honoured for their contributions to the development of the village.
