Drought conditions in the US means the price of grains, cereals and corn is not expected to decrease any time since demand far outweighs supply.

But that’s not the only effect which Saint Lucians will notice locally. Program Coordinator of the Black Sigatoka Emergency and Stabilization Project and former PS in the Ministry of Agriculture, Martin Satney, says food production will also be affected.

Saint Lucian livestock farmers he says depend on grains, wheat and other by products for their livestock farms.

However he views with optimism the decision by US President Barrack Obama to invest over 30 million dollars in aid to farmers.

He says Saint Lucia must also view the current situation as an opportunity to invest in the agricultural sector.

Satney says the Black Sigatoka Emergency and Stabilization Project has made significant gains in stabilizing the banana industry, managing the leaf spot disease and boosting banana exports.

He says the onus is now on government to consolidate the gains of this intervention by implementing medium to long term plans within the agricultural ministry.

His general focus is on banana and food production. Satney says the current global food situation may be a blessing in disguise; allowing the country to refocus and re strategize to see, at least for the next three years, some significant emphasis on agriculture.

In terms of banana production the ministry is presently at its best level of disease control in about 13 months.

That Satney says augers well for overall food production. The Black Sigatoka Emergency and Stabilization Project was a six month program implemented by the government in response to the Black Sigatoka virus

Civil servants come under heavy criticism from the public not just in Saint Lucia. They are often criticized for not performing their duties to the detriment of the country and government they serve.

Dalsou says the Public Service Management Act will ensure the Staff Orders which took effect in the 1980’s are an effective management tool for these workers.

The Act will not empower senior Ministry personnel to terminate, employ or discipline civil servants.
That will remain the purview of the Public Service Commission.

The conference was held at the Auberge Seraphine Hotel. Dalsou says following Monday’s consultation – additional meetings with other stakeholders will be held before the finalized Public Service Management Act is presented to Cabinet.

Members will also discuss the amendments made to the VAT Bill during the last Senate session; in fact the Government Press Secretary says it is the first matter that will be considered under Matters Arising from the Senate.

Papers are also expected to be laid by Commerce Minister Emma Hippolyte, Tourism Minister Lorne Theophilus, Education Minister Dr Robert Lewis and Agriculture Minister Moses Jn Baptiste.

In Monkey Town Ciceron one mother fled her home in the middle of the night after heavy showers, soil saturation and windy conditions caused a tree to crash into her house blocking access to the structure in the process.

She is now calling for assistance to get her family, which includes her two sons back into their home and their own bed.

Meanwhile residents are blaming a lightning strike for a house fire at Sunny Acres on Saturday afternoon.
Neighbors claim they witnessed flashes of light amid heavy rain near the residence before the flames of fire were ignited.

Sub officer, Elvin St. Juste says the fire department received an emergency call of the residential fire at approximately 1:24 pm Saturday.

First responders proceeded to the scene with two fire appliances and one ambulance.

There were no reports of causalities as the home was reportedly unoccupied at the time of the incident.
Firefighters managed to confine the flames to one room which was consumed and gutted by the blaze.

She has also reported no major report was made to NEMO following the tropical depression that fizzled into a wave on Saturday. This past week-end was the second consecutive time Saint Lucia was placed on tropical storm watch.

In both instances the watch was discontinued without major impact to the country. French says these lucky escapes are not an excuse for complacency.

The NOAA Climate Prediction Centre recently updated its forecast for this Atlantic Hurricane Season stating there would be 12 to 17 named storms, 5 to 8 of them hurricanes.

It raised the numbers partly because of the number of storms we have already seen this year namely tropical storms Alberto, Beryl, Debbie and Florence, and hurricanes Chris and Ernesto.

The Climate Prediction Center is increasing the number of expected storms due to wind patterns and warmer than average ocean temperatures.

The telecommunications training workshop follows the response to Hurricane Tomas. NEMO Training Officer – Andrew George –says district disaster committees requested instruction in the use of radios following an almost complete communication shut down in the aftermath of the 2010 hurricane.

He says participants are volunteers from established committees across the island.

They will be taught how to use radios to ensure they never lose contact with the NEMO head office located in Bisee. NEMO will also provide each disaster committee with the equipment it needs to ensure radio communication is always open.

George says the organization is also hoping the participants will move on to the novice class exam to become certified radio operators. He says the country is in urgent need of such expertise.

The workshop was held at the NEMO head office – it is funded by the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance from USAID.

LUCELEC is offering a 6.5% wage increase over the triennium 2011 to 2013 which the Union deems “unconscionable and a provocation of discontent and trust.”

The CSA wants a 16.5% increase it says is based on guaranteed profits after tax made by the Company, dividends paid to shareholders and the implication for increased cost of living from VAT.

Deputy Labour Commissioner Ray Narcisse says the two parties last met on August 7th.

Meeting with the Minister is the last step in the negotiation process. Narcisse says while the situation seems dire – there is still the very real possibility all will be resolved.

There’s been no word on when Labour Minister Dr Robert Lewis will meet with both parties. LUCELEC and the CSA have been deadlocked in discussion on this matter for over one year.

Police Commissioner Vernon Francois says the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force has long paid lip service to community oriented policing without taking steps to make it a serious and sustainable effort.

He touted the new training program as a new day in the force where members can look to other avenues beside what he calls forceful policing.

Course Coordinator, John Quail of the Springboard Training and Development Center, says attention and care was paid to tailoring the course to the specific needs of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force.

A cadre of police officers will be trained to then in turn train the entire police force including top ranking officers and new recruits.

The “Train the Trainers Community Policing Programme,” commenced on Monday 13th August and will continue until Tuesday 21st August.

The training course is being held at the Police Training Academy located in La Toc.

Vice President, Alberta Richelieu, says the event will prepare students for university life. Richelieu says the association intends to introduce students to the university experience. The aim is to better prepare them to take advantage of the opportunities available at the university.

The association is a fully functioning body headed by President Kendall Elva. A former CARICOM Youth Ambassador and teacher – Elva heads the body that consists of seven other members.