A CONTRACT was on Monday signed between the General Manager of Hope Coconut Industries Limited (HCIL) (Hope Estate) and Ivor Allen for the construction of two bridges at the estate.

The contract is worth $2.6M. According to General Manager Ricky Roopchand, the works form part of the estate’s improvement of infrastructure programme, to ensure that farmers can access new and improved services. “The current existing bridges were neglected over the years, as a result of both poor maintenance and financial constraints.” Roopchand said, according to a release issued by the Ministry of Agriculture.

This is the start of a series of works which will be done at the estate to better serve farmers’ needs. With support from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Hope Estate has also improved services by allowing farmers access to a better variety of coconut. “As part of Government’s revitalisation of its coconut industry, the Hope Coconut Estate with support from NAREI and CARDI is working on expanding not only the beds, but also the introduction of new varieties of coconut seedlings,” he said.

Allen in an invited comment reiterated the importance of value for money, noting that it is in the interest of his company to ensure that the work is done in a timely manner and is of high quality. He added that while there is a 30-day period for completion, he is adamant that the bridges will be completed ahead of schedule.

“Our main priority is ensuring that [the] work of Hope Estate is not stymied, hence the move to ensure that we have all works completed and in a timely manner,” he said.
In addition to work, the management of Hope Estate has been working assiduously to ensure that farmers have access to high-quality seedlings. As such, the estate is now in a better position to supply over 1,000 coconut seedlings weekly to farmers. Earlier this year, with support from CARDI, the estate’s capacity was boosted.

“Already we have coconut beds completed and the capacity to produce 50,000 coconut seedlings per year. In addition to this, a coconut germplasm has already been established at the estate to augment our already existing work,” Roopchand said.

Works are also currently being undertaken on a 36-acre coconut demonstration plot, which will be used both as a model farm and training facility for coconut farmers. Only recently, as a direct result of the intervention of Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder, the farmers and residents of Hope Estate benefited from the rehabilitation of the main access road.