Prime Minister: Eat like the Spiritual Baptists

WITH food prices expected to go up as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, the Prime Minister told the nation to look at the Spiritual Shouter Baptists as an example of eating what is grown locally.

Addressing the crowd at La Horquetta, on Monday night during the PNM’s commemoration of Spiritual Baptist Shouter Liberation Day, Dr Rowley highlighted the ground provision and fruits they brought.

“I look at your harvest, I see sweet potato, I see cassava, I see yams, I see pumpkin, I see pineapple, I see peppers – all produced in this country. How many of you make these things an integral part of your diet?”

He continued: “We’re worried, we’re worried. We’re worried about not getting enough Canadian flour or Ukrainian flour, but not prepared to make the adjustments to consume what we have produced. These teachings will save us, not blaming other people over whom we have no control. I ask you, Spiritual Baptists, to lead this country away from the direction that we are going.”

Rowley’s talk on Monday night of eating locally produced foods is not the first time he has encouraged the country to do so.

Agriculture has been a major part of the Rowley-ed PNM's manifesto. Part of Government’s drive to promote agriculture is the Youth Agricultural Homestead Programme (YAHP), which was launched in February.

The $100-million-a-year programme will target 150 nationals aged 18-35 for three years, after which the programme will be re-evaluated.

It is a two-year theoretical and practical learning initiative in which those who complete both aspects will be granted two acres of land. Start-up homes will also be constructed for the successful candidates. During the two years trainees will be given a stipend of $75 a day and a start-up grant of $20,000 at the end.