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**Avid Reader** » 2012-05-04 11:13

How is this going to be good for Antigua when St. Vincent is supposed to have a deal with the same poultry farm? How is Antigua going to serve the region when they are competing with SVG?

@dadlison, one of the worst things I have ever seen is what elected Antigua officials do to their own people in Antigua. They do not believe that we are capable of doing anything to assist the country, they spout the words but they in reality they do not mean a word of it.

The concessions that they are going to be giving to Zacky-Mann could be invested in developing a poultry industry in Antigua. 600 jobs to construct the building and a small number of employees to run the facility when completed doesn't compute. What the country is going to lose in this transaction could be spent better elsewhere.

**tenman** » 2012-05-03 22:15

Let me not forget Vernon Jeffers who used to be GM at Saint James, Verandah and now Jolly Beach. This resort has 464 rooms, which is at least 100 more than Sandals Grade Antigua yet its (wrongly)allege d to represent 0% of the total revenue collected by hotels on island. Strangely we have around 4K (4154 according to the 2009 throne speech) total stay-over guest rooms yet a hotel which represents almost 12% of that total is (wrongly) claimed to collect less than 0 percent of stay over revenue.

Jolly Beach, as far as I know is yet to be sold and up to Feb 23 this year when Jeffers was appointed, still has local directors in place. Perhaps persons with proof of the contrary, need to alert the unions so they can ensure that the workers get their severance, if necessary. Will never say that we do not need much more locals in positions of power in this industry but to pretend there are none is a lie.

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**Wadadli Blogger** » 2012-05-03 19:20

Again they come back with this 600 construction jobs and then 800 after. To have 800 workers on one job site is amazing. I said it before ... if someone can employ 800 people selling chicken or turkey then what is this government waiting for. Go to the CDB and get a loan and let's get started!!!

But someone is exagerating here. I hope it's the government because if it's the investors then they are clearly starting off fishy!!!

**THE GODFATHER** » 2012-05-03 16:51

What we should have is owneraship, and its nonexistent, you cite Royal Antiguan and Halycon 2 hotels built under suspicious clouds. Where did the ownership of the two end up, when theye were to many questions to be handle because of alleged corrjuption..in foreign ;partners hand. This was public ingterest exchange for supposedly private gain.

I am aware of Jolly Beach and its history, that was an admirable and creative venture, representing not even 0.00% with the tourism sector, but that too has since change hands.

We are in the tourist trade now for more than 50 years, and we sing the hoteliers token praise for the smallest percentage of management, culinary chefs, and travel tours opeartors as substantial...g kive me a break!

**tenman** » 2012-05-03 14:57

The highest position attained in tourism was local private sector ownership of at least one major hotel, Jolly Beach. We have also had ownership via government of Royal Antigua and Halcyon Cove. In addition, locals have attained upper (executive) management positions with the highest being that of General Manager: Ted Isaac at Jolly Beach; V Carlos & B Adams at Sandals Antigua, C. Carter at Trade winds and before that Sandals Antigua.

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**THE GODFATHER** » 2012-05-03 14:39

What is the highest position locals have attained in TOURISM...our major industry? Answer or forever hold your peace!

**tenman** » 2012-05-03 14:21

HNIC you wrote:
Quote:

It is 2012. To date, has any of you seen any proposal by any locals to undertake a venture of this magnitude?

H.N.I.C why would someone show me a bus. proposal? Do I work at the Investment Authority? Your post implies you do, are you Mr. Emanuel? Anyway, I have heard of local persons who had interest in doing something similar as late as last year. I recall one of the principals dying.

What went wrong with the promise below on page 12 of the UPP 2004 manifesto:
Quote:

Much of these imports can be replaced by local poultry, when our own poultry farmers are enabled by policies that provide meaningful incentives and opportunities in investment in poultry production. A UPP government will take the measures necessary to neutralize the effects of trade liberalisation on the local poultry industry and will provide a package of incentives to ensure that the industry develops on the basis of the
best available technology and in high levels of productivity, so that Antigua and Barbuda becomes self-sufficient in poultry.

HNIC can you blame persons like me for wanting what was promised?
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**Jumbee Picknee** » 2012-05-03 13:18

FEAR is one of huemankind greatest impetus and also prohibitor in one's thought processes. We as positively concerned citizens of our Nation, home and abroad have to relinquish our negative fears (lack of trust, hate etc.) which are the prohibitors and use our positive fears (calculated risks, adrenaline rush etc.) to create the flourishing Nation which we can become. There is no doubt, that we have a great product (Antigua, Barbuda & Redonda) to market. Sir Viv, planted a seed of "positive fear" for us recently. We have to nurture it. WE MUST NOW UNITE FROM OUR NATURAL ROOTS. Become a model of Univerasal envy which will be great for us, because, we can then market that (our "know-how") as well...a Anteega me cum fram, a right dey me cum fram, but me hab no honor in me own country. Dem(foreigners) a do well, while me peeple a ketch hell, but, wet u hand an wait pan me, me a cum, trust me...

**dadlison** » 2012-05-03 12:39

@Jumbee Picknee - Business and entrepreneurial alliances are indeed the key to establishing, supporting and nurturing our local industries, and protecting them for the government and foreign entrepreneurs.

@H.N.I.C - I do agree that we have not seen formal proposals put forward by locals and we should show some initiative. Agriculture/liv estock is not my field, however many of my acquaintances have shared plans of this nature with me. Unfortunately, they may not have the know-how to put together a formal proposal or the capital to start an initiative. This is why we need OUR government to provide support to bright but underprivileged local entrepreneurs at the g** roots level.

**Jumbee Picknee** » 2012-05-03 12:12

Greetings...Dad lison, your questions even though simple and very logical, it is not in the best interest of our politricktans to provide the necessary incentives, such as tax breaks, land, short term loans etc. to assist the local entrepreneurs in this endeavor. DEM WANT DEM CUT...This is why, it is imperative, that, we as local entrepreneurs form the necessary alliances to combat these outside forces which are given power and control over us again and again by those whom we elect to protect our interest. To be honest, I know Mac from our Grammar School days, I admired what he did in rergards to R. Allen Stanford, however, he seems to be doing what any other politricktan does, BEEN AN OPPORTUNIST. How could someone in his capacity, make such an error in regards to the purpose of project. I will no doubt see him at the robing of Margo Brodie, and I will have no quarms telling, him the same thing to his face, and I hope the cameras/recorde rs are rolling...me garne

**Colin** » 2012-05-03 10:51

Re: substitution of "poultry" for "turkey":-

Lay that one at my door - not Mac's - when I lifted the PR blurb it came to me that during our discussions Mac had stuck to "poultry" - on the fly I decided that discretion was the better part of valor - time for another clarification?

**H.N.I.C.** » 2012-05-03 10:33

It is 2012. To date, has any of you seen any proposal by any locals to undertake a venture of this magnitude? I haven't but correct me if I'm wrong. We Antiguans are the type to sit back and smile as our money grows in the back and do nothing with it. Then as soon as someone from outside comes in we rant and rave bout a local could have done it. Well get off your ** and do it!!

**Morris** » 2012-05-03 10:24

How could Mr. Emanuel fail to inform the the citizens that Zacky Farms sold their chicken business in 2001 to focus solely on turkey products? Was it to mislead the public? Who knows, but something sure smells fishy here.

Based in California, Zacky-Mann is one of the world’s largest producers of poultry products. The company has grown from a small, family run retail business to a completely integrated poultry operation. As grower, processor, wholesaler, and retailer, Zacky-Mann Farms ranks as one of the largest poultry businesses in the USA.

The paragraph above was lifted from the Zacky Farms website, and the word poultry (underlined) replaced the word turkey. Why? The citizens will decide.

Anyway, here are the lists for the top 10 chicken and turkey producers in the US: Chicken producers - Tyson Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride, Perdue Farms, Sanderson Farms, Koch Foods, Wayne Farms, Mountaire Farms, House of Raeford, Foster Farms, and Peco Foods. Turkey producers - **erball, Jennie-O, Cargill, Farbest Foods, Sara Lee, Kraft Foods, Perdue Farms, Foster Farms, House of Raeford, and Virginia Poultry Growers.

**tenman** » 2012-05-03 10:07

dadlison good question. We have locals running insurance, telecom, banking, tourism, etc companies yet ones cannot be found to raise chicken on this scale. As John French II stated yesterday, ways should have been found, via the investment authority, to encourage indigenous investment in this area. When this project was pitched in St. Vincent, it was stated that the highest position available for locals will be middle management.

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**dadlison** » 2012-05-03 09:52

Are we in the Caribbean too fooly to even raise chickens? We need someone from California to show us how its done? Rather than all this obsession over FDI why don't we begin by empowering locals to feed ourselves. Its not rocket-science, its poultry farming. Can we do anything ourselves?

**@ Slapping Hands** » 2012-05-03 09:07

..and the Fences, Cyant Park, Food City, Jelly Bean Sidewalks, Gutter Covering, Bencorp Building...

**Slapping Hand** » 2012-05-03 07:27

What a total waste of time! 600 construction Jobs...LOL...

Tell us about the Power Plant...no more lies...

**STEVE** » 2012-05-03 03:13

"Misstatement" lol. We will see how much more we will hear :lol:

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