 Mr. Speaker, before I continue I want to just take some time to express my deepest sympathies to a few family members in my constituency. And the first one is Mr. Henry Asson of Lakai, who passed a few weeks ago. The second one is Ms. Silai Edward of Rockilin, Denry. The third one is Felicia, my friend, also of Rockilin, Denry, and a fourth Mr. Speaker, Mr. Glenn of Church Street, Denry. Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the families of those persons I just mentioned and to wish them strength as they go through their period of bereavement. Mr. Speaker, I am extremely happy for the opportunity to speak on the estimates of revenue and expenditure for the period 2023-2024 and to give my fullest support to the estimates. Mr. Speaker, my ministry received a total of $44,573,600 for the estimates 2023-2024. On the recurrent, a total of $33,98,600 and on the capital expenditure, $11,475,000. Mr. Speaker, I must say most of what I requested of the prime minister was received for the ministry of agriculture. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by focusing on some of the activities and achievements of the ministry of agriculture, fisheries, food security and rural development as it continues to implement its work program for the budget year 2022-2023 in line with the globally established sustainable development goals which speak to issues such as eradication of hunger and poverty and our very significant goal of achieving food and nutrition security. The agricultural sector, Mr. Speaker, remains a key driver for economic change in St. Lucia, contributing to national output, foreign exchange earnings, employment and rural development. The sector remains critical to St. Lucia's social and economic development with the potential to enhance livelihoods by creating more and better jobs for women and youth rural communities. The aim, Mr. Speaker, is to build on progress made towards enhancing food security, increasing market access, building resilience in the agricultural systems against climate change and ensuring sustainable livelihoods. Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic and invasion of the Ukraine by Russia disrupted the food value chain, posing a substantial risk to food production and security, these occurrences provide an opportunity for import substitution by increasing the availability and consumption of locally produced agricultural goods. Mr. Speaker, you would understand the importance of the ministry of agriculture in producing food, food of high nutrition, food in sufficient quantities to ensure that we have enough to feed our local populace and to encourage our populace to eat what we grow and to grow what we eat. Mr. Speaker, I have just received in the last few weeks a food and nutrition security policy document from my ministry. The document outlines broad measures that must be taken to address our food security needs. Very soon, Mr. Speaker, the document will be tabled in cabinet for discussion and subsequent approval. Mr. Speaker, I must mention the banana industry, which is one of our critical and very significant sub-sectors in the ministry of agriculture in the agricultural sector. Mr. Speaker, our banana industry has gone through many challenges throughout the past years. We experience a high mark of achievement when we recommend shipments of our bananas to the UK market for a few months after being absent from that market for a period of two years. Mr. Speaker, the impact of global economic challenges resulted in a mutual suspension by all parties as trade at that point in time was not economically viable for all parties. Fortunately for us, Mr. Speaker, the demand for our bananas in the regional market was increasing significantly, so it was convenient for us to divert our foods into the regional markets and seize the opportunity to emerge. Mr. Speaker, you recall the situation that we found when we got into government, where windfresh had gone into receivership. We had not been exporting to the UK for a number of months and we thought it was necessary, thought it was necessary, Mr. Speaker, to engage our buyers in the UK to find a way to be able to export our foods back to the UK. But unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, we faced challenges and as a result, we had to seize the opportunity to emerge in terms of the UK market. Mr. Speaker, currently the regional market is calling for approximately 15,000 boxes of bananas per week and growing. Mr. Speaker, just last week, I held a meeting with a buyer in Trinidad. We indicated that he's committed to acquiring a minimum of 2,000 boxes of bananas per week and he will provide the vessel to get it into St. Lucia, from St. Lucia. He indicated that customers are attracted to the taste of our bananas, Mr. Speaker, and that gives it a competitive advantage over the other bananas in that market. Clearly, Mr. Speaker, there is a demand for bananas in the region and we must capitalize on the opportunity to meet the volume requirements for the region, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, we are not at the stage where we can supply and keep up with the demands. Our current production levels, Mr. Speaker, stand at approximately 6,000 to 7,000 boxes per week, which is almost half of the demand by the regional market. The industry is still recovering from shocks generated by previous weather events, Mr. Speaker. High costs of agricultural inputs, commercial disruptions, and abandoned farms, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, permit me to express this in cruel, Mr. Speaker. We are currently at a market that is almost 15,000 boxes per week, but we actually have almost half of that, which is 6,000 to 7,000 boxes per week. We have to buy bananas from St. Lucia and we have to make a arrangement to buy figs in St. Lucia, and if we guarantee that we can supply 2,000 boxes per week, we will be able to buy them in the next 20,000 boxes in St. Lucia. We also have a lot of figs. We have a lot of majecos, mangoes, bananas, zabocca, coconuts, and a lot of produce that we produce here, that we serve in the region, and we also guarantee that if we serve in the same way, we can make the produce available in the bag and we can come here and buy it. Mr. Speaker, given the challenges faced by the industry, we have held several consultations with all key players in the banana industry. In our last meeting a few weeks ago with all the regional exporters, we tried to ascertain the right framework for us to achieve the right prices, quality, and high levels of production, and increase market presence and demand. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, some key challenges were identified in terms of shipping, high cost of inputs, labor challenges, Mr. Speaker, high packaging material costs, inadequate access to finance. Mr. Speaker, the banana industry has proven over the years to be a very resilient industry. There is a fighting spirit that exists in the industry, one that exhibits the never-give-up attitude due to the love and dependence on banana production in the rural communities. This is why successive governments have continued to persevere with the banana industry with the objectives of meeting market demands and expectations. Mr. Speaker, our bananas have always been very well recognized for its taste, and as I go through the various countries, what I hear is St. Lucia bananas seem to have the best taste in the world, Mr. Speaker, and I believe, Mr. Speaker, it is time that we work with export St. Lucia, not just to promote our bananas in terms of the region and how we can meet the volume in the region, Mr. Speaker, but to promote it around the taste, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I note in the estimates for 2023-2024 a sum of one million dollars that was allocated to the banana industry, Mr. Speaker, and these monies of funds will go to the Black Sikotoko Control Unit, Mr. Speaker, that we established last year to address the challenges plaguing the banana industry with a view to enhancing productivity and performance for pests and disease surveillance and control, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you will hear of the Black Sikotoko disease that has been affecting the banana industry, and the Black Sikotoko Control Unit, Mr. Speaker, is in place to address that. We are hoping this year, Mr. Speaker, with the allocation available to the unit, we can bring in some more staff to work with the farmers, to engage the farmers. A lot more than has been happening to ensure the farmers produce and continue to produce a standard quality fruit and to be able to ensure that we can sustain the regional market. Mr. Speaker, in saying all of that, I believe there is an urgent need for us to diversify the agricultural sector, Mr. Speaker. In the past, there have been heavy dependence on banana production, Mr. Speaker, but I believe there are opportunities for our farmers to divert into other crops, Mr. Speaker. And in this finance, the new financial year, Mr. Speaker, an allocation of $1.13 million, Mr. Speaker, was given for the revitalization of the cocoa industry, Mr. Speaker. We have a very big market in the UK for our cocoa, Mr. Speaker. And even in the region, Mr. Speaker, there is a high demand for our cocoa. So, Mr. Speaker, I am hoping that these funds will go towards the rehabilitation and replanting of our cocoa farm holdings, Mr. Speaker, retrofitting the BAF propagation center and to provide approximately $1 million cocoa trees to our farmers who are interested, Mr. Speaker, and to really rehabilitate the existing fields and to expand where necessary to be able to ensure that we can meet the demands of the market and to provide an opportunity for our farmers to generate a lot more from the production of cocoa, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you would recall the livestock farm that we are now setting up at Volet in Miku, Mr. Speaker. This livestock farm was previously at both age you view for it, where there was a long history of variation in production level over the years. For some time, Mr. Speaker, because of the lack of defined production plan, low productivity, high mortality, and ineffective management, its relevance and viability have been questioned. There was also persistent constraints such as staffing issues, antiquated buildings, Mr. Speaker, inadequate pasture, insufficient transportation and farm equipment, and limited funds for the operations, Mr. Speaker. However, Mr. Speaker, with the implementation of the Desert Star Holdings DSH pole of the Caribbean project in view for Mr. Speaker, it was agreed that the old station had outlived its usefulness and should be relocated to Volet in Miku to make way for the third project, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in estimates for 2023-2024, a sum of $333,000 have been approved to facilitate continuous infrastructure works at the agricultural station, Mr. Speaker. This includes buildings and infrastructure, construction of roads, and creation of pasture for grazing of small ruminants and security services, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's been a while now. Most of the stock that were located at Boseju, they are actually now at the Saafalus facility in Grand Riviera. And we are hoping that in the next few weeks, Mr. Speaker, we will be able to move those animals to the new Volet facility and to begin our, to commence a serious program of moving the livestock sector to the level that it should be. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to mention that on the fisheries facilities, Mr. Speaker, we received in this estimate a sum of $711,000, Mr. Speaker, to improve the existing fisheries facilities, Mr. Speaker. And I must turn my attention to the member for Miku Nof, who expressed concerns regarding his facilities in Miku, Mr. Speaker. And I want to tell him, Mr. Speaker, I will do my best to assist once the funds are available to help upgrade the facilities in Miku, Mr. Speaker. Last quarter of this, this quarter of, fourth quarter of this financial year, Mr. Speaker, we received an allocation of $400,000 from the $1.1 million that was allocated for fisheries facilities in the 2022-2023 estimates. And that was supposed, that was, that amount was utilized for the electrical upgrade of the Lucian Blue Ocean, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm sure you'll recall in November 2021, the Lucian Blue Ocean closed its doors, and we are yet to see a reopening of the facility, Mr. Speaker. But, Mr. Speaker, a good government that we are, Mr. Speaker, we are in the process of assisting the Lucian Blue Ocean in terms of a reopening, Mr. Speaker, because we know the importance of this facility to our fishers. So, Mr. Speaker, the $701,000 would assist in repairs and maintenance it for dennery facilities, Grozilier, Viewfort, Souffre, Mr. Speaker, and Canaries. And we will make every effort to continue this effort to upgrade those facilities, Mr. Speaker, because they were, those facilities were donated to us by the government of Japan, Mr. Speaker, and we must make an effort to upgrade those facilities to ensure that it can function and be able to ensure that it remains our fishers and our residents, Mr. Speaker, feel safe and comfortable when they are at those facilities. Mr. Speaker, I want to continue to mention that, Mr. Speaker, we have 300 devices and they are called vessel monitoring device, Mr. Speaker, or vessel monitoring system, Mr. Speaker, and we, those devices are really to assist the fishers in terms of safety at sea, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Fisheries, Mr. Speaker, commends the installation of the vessel tracking devices on a non-mandatory basis and at no cost to fishers, Mr. Speaker. This will enable, Mr. Speaker, more efficient than reliable rescue operations and reduce the likelihood of lost lives at sea. Mr. Speaker, just yesterday we began the installation of 10 devices on the boats in Viewfort and tomorrow, Mr. Speaker, we will be continuing to install those devices in Savants Bay and we will be going around the island to ensure that our fishers take full advantage of a device that can save their lives and ensure that they remain safe at sea. Mr. Speaker, my ministry is also concerned about the fishers, the plight of the fishers, Mr. Speaker. And just recently, we procure materials for free fads, Mr. Speaker. And we, in recent weeks, we gave the fads to the fishermen in Souffre, in Viewfort and in Denver, Mr. Speaker. And we have another six fads, Mr. Speaker, where we are waiting the materials to come from Grenada, Mr. Speaker, because we do not have it on island and we are going to give grossly, canaries, larvae, miku and other consequences, one fad to assist the farmers, the fishers, Mr. Speaker, in meeting the livelihoods on a daily basis, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the estimates, Mr. Speaker, there is an amount of $1.8 million that was allocated for the building resilience for the adaptation to climate change variability project, Mr. Speaker. It is a CDB project, Mr. Speaker. And the objective is to build resilience in the agricultural sector for livelihood security, for enhanced adaptive capacities for climate change and variability, Mr. Speaker. The project is designed primarily to build adaptive capacities of agroecosystems and livelihoods to climate risk from significant decreases in rainfall, intensive and more frequent hydro-metrological events, including droughts, which would lead to increasing water shortages in the farming systems, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the project will benefit small farming populations primarily farmers in the west and southwest and north of the island, where the larger majority of the vulnerable populations live, including three of the poorest communities, canaries, ancillary and souffle. Mr. Speaker, an allocation of $300,000 was made available under the grant funding to increase the productivity levels and standard quality in EpiCulture and CMOS, Mr. Speaker. And just as my, the member for Miku Noff mentioned, Mr. Speaker, we are seeing a rapidly growing CMOS industry, Mr. Speaker, which is impacting the lives of many persons, especially in the rural communities of Pralé, Miku, Fifott, Mr. Speaker. And my government, occurring government, is concerned about this, Mr. Speaker. And an allocation of $300,000 would go to training and certification of new and existing farmers, Mr. Speaker. We received an allocation of $100,000, Mr. Speaker, for under the Boys to Men Mushroom Agri-Business project. And this would be, this is to encourage youth investment in agriculture, Mr. Speaker, to continue to develop programs that promote youth involvement in the sector, which is a major avenue for employment generation and creation of livelihoods, Mr. Speaker. That project, the project for building youth intrapreneurs, intrapreneurs, Mr. Speaker, in mushroom production has been funded in the estimates. Currently, the domestic production of mushrooms are insufficient to meet the demands of hotels, supermarkets and food establishments. As a limited number of persons in a few communities in Saint Lucia, namely, Babono, Debara and Miku are engaged in the production of mushrooms for sale to the above mentioned establishments, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the new estimates, Mr. Speaker, we received the sum of $450,000, Mr. Speaker, for primary tillage equipment and mechanization equipment, Mr. Speaker. We recognize the agriculture, that agriculture is a labor-intensive activity, and provisions have been made to procure mechanization equipment to facilitate increased production and reduce the cost of labor, which is one of the highest factors in the cost of production. By doing so, Mr. Speaker, we are hoping to encourage young people into the sector. Fans will be used to procure small tillage, Mr. Speaker, drain diggers and rotaviters. And basically, Mr. Speaker, this is the way, this is the direction that the agriculture sector should go. We have seen a heavy dependence on doing the same old things, the same way, Mr. Speaker. And that is an opportunity for us to increase or bring in new technology into the sector to help reduce the cost of production, Mr. Speaker, to allow our farmers to be able to make more profit, Mr. Speaker, considering the fact that labor, agricultural labor is becoming a problem. That is an avenue, Mr. Speaker. I think we should turn to. And that is one way of attracting more young persons into the sector, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, under the expansion of our food crop production, Mr. Speaker, we received $1.9 million, Mr. Speaker. And you would have heard that, Mr. Speaker, the second phase of the seven crops program funded by the Taiwanese government to the tune of almost $10 million, Mr. Speaker, is going well. Mr. Speaker, you would understand the urgent need for us to reduce our food import bill, Mr. Speaker. And our strategy as a ministry, as a government is to reduce our food import bill by 25 percent in 2025, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we cannot just say it, but we must have a plan. And the focus under the seven crops program is to provide support to farmers, Mr. Speaker. And just last month, we produced 42,000 seedlings and made available to our farmers at 20 cents per seedlings, Mr. Speaker. We also continue to have our input sales, Mr. Speaker, where farmers can access agricultural inputs at subsidized prices, Mr. Speaker. Just last week, Mr. Speaker, the 25 KG bag of fertilizer, Mr. Speaker, was being sold at $40 per bag to farmers, Mr. Speaker, under the seven crops program, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one big announcement that I want to make, Mr. Speaker, is the St. Lucia Marketing Board, Mr. Speaker. And Mr. Speaker, for the first time, the St. Lucia Marketing Board, Mr. Speaker, is receiving $250,000, Mr. Speaker, as a intervention to allow it to run its operations, Mr. Speaker. I'm hoping that, Mr. Speaker, the Marketing Board would take full advantage of this allocation, Mr. Speaker. And it would cause them to engage the farmers in terms of establishing contracts with them, Mr. Speaker, and ensure that they can pay the farmers on time and make sure, Mr. Speaker, the farmers continue to build that trust and confidence in the Marketing Board. And I just wanted to mention, Mr. Speaker, under the repairs to the Shuzhel fishing port, and I'm sure the member for Shuzhel, Mr. Speaker, would be happy to know that the government of Japan has, through a grant, allocated $5.7 million, Mr. Speaker, to construct the second groin of the facility in Shuzhel, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think I have said enough, and it is now time for me to turn to my constituency of Denry South, Mr. Speaker. And I'm sure they would want to hear what is happening in the constituency, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want Denry South to be the envy of other constituencies, Mr. Speaker. And I want that level of confidence and trust, Mr. Speaker, so that we can really come together as a constituency, work together, and move this constituency to the next level, Mr. Speaker. I know the high rate of unemployment, Mr. Speaker, that exists among our men and women, Mr. Speaker, especially our youth. And, Mr. Speaker, one of the areas of concern to me, Mr. Speaker, is the Saturday Night Fish Fiesta, what you commonly hear people call the Saba. And, Mr. Speaker, over the past years, Mr. Speaker, we have seen a deterioration of the activity and the infrastructure, Mr. Speaker, is deteriorating quite rapidly, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, fortunately, under the Community Tourism Program, Mr. Speaker, we made a submission to the ministry, and we have been told that Denry South will be receiving a grant, Mr. Speaker, that will help us to upgrade the facility, to put in the necessary infrastructure, Mr. Speaker, and to ensure that we can continue to attract persons from all over the island and outside, Mr. Speaker, to come to this activity on a Saturday. Currently, Mr. Speaker, we are having the activity on a small scale, and we are doing it, holding it every last Saturday of the month. I am hoping, as indicated by the member for country south, Mr. Speaker, in the not too long from now, Mr. Speaker, we will be given a grant that will allow us to be able to get this activity going on a more regular basis, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this activity has its spin-off effect, Mr. Speaker. The fisherman sells the fish, Mr. Speaker. We have a number of vendors, Mr. Speaker, who comes there on a regular basis, and this augers well for the community, for the constituency, Mr. Speaker. The Denry Fish and Port, what is called the Daito, as mentioned earlier, there is an urgent need for an upgrade of this facility. This facility has been unattended for many years, and under the fisheries facility upgrade, Mr. Speaker, we will be giving some attention to the facility. The fish cleaning area must be upgraded rapidly. We have a serious problem with the drainage, Mr. Speaker, and a lot of the water is stagnant and causing some issues for persons who are frequent in the area. We also have an issue with regards to the toilet, Mr. Speaker, and we are currently addressing the problem to deal with this, Mr. Speaker. I'm hoping that soon, from now, we will be able to tackle all these issues, including the electricity problem that exists there, Mr. Speaker. In terms of the Denry Beach Front, Mr. Speaker, there is need for the development and upgrade of the Denry Beach Front, and to be able to ensure that we tie the fisheries, the fish night activity, the fisheries facility, the inclusion or development of a children's playground, Mr. Speaker, and to create that ambience, that opportunity for people to be able to feel comfortable walking the bridgefront and being able to relax and enjoy the beauty that the Denry Beach Front provides, Mr. Speaker. So it is part of a long-term plan to develop the beachfront, putting the lighting that necessary, Mr. Speaker, and necessary, Mr. Speaker, including sitting and planting of trees to create that ambience and comfort for people to be able to enjoy. Mr. Speaker, I must say I'm very happy with the progress that we've been making with the housing assistance in Denry, Mr. Speaker. Today we've built almost 20 houses, Mr. Speaker, and we have been helping a number of persons with building material, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want the people of Denry to be a little more patient, Mr. Speaker, because the availability of materials are not always in my office, Mr. Speaker. We can only get it when it becomes available. So I want them to be patient that we do not have materials every day available to give everyone. But we are working together to address, to assist, especially the elderly, Mr. Speaker, the less fortunate, the homeless, Mr. Speaker, to assist with this, with housing assistance. And I'm eagerly waiting the second phase of the disbursement of the allocation for the housing program so we can continue to assist our people of Denry, South. Mr. Speaker, I want to mention the Lakai Dheke Center, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this building has been given very little or no attention for the past 15 years, Mr. Speaker. And Mr. Speaker, just this year, Mr. Speaker, we have done the electrical upgrade of the facility, Mr. Speaker. We have now painted interior and exterior sections of the building, Mr. Speaker. We are also, we have also upgraded part of the fence in Mr. Speaker. And in the coming weeks, we will be paying serious attention to addressing the problems with the railings, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that the kids who are there feel comfortable and we can feel the teachers and other persons who wouldn't, Mr. Speaker, will feel safe. Also in Lakai, Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about the state of the nursery road, Mr. Speaker. Every time it rains, Mr. Speaker, the place is very muddy and it makes it very difficult for access, especially by the kids, Mr. Speaker. We've started the resulting of a drain in close proximity to the Lakai nursery road, Mr. Speaker. And we're hoping that in the coming months, Mr. Speaker, we'll do a complete resurfacing of the road, Mr. Speaker, to create access for persons residing in there. I want to call on people like Maureen and those other persons like Mockett, Mr. Speaker, to inform them that I'm very concerned about the drainage issue that exists in Lakai. And as soon as funds become available, we will be addressing this, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the denry cricket field, Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Ministry of Sports for commencing the upgrade of the surface in Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, we saw the need for us to secure the playing field. And just a few weeks ago, we've installed four gates, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that the grazing of animals, Mr. Speaker, becomes a thing of the past. I'm hoping that we can begin to see cricket activities in the denry south, Mr. Speaker. And we are working towards ensuring that we can continue to work on this project. Mr. Speaker, however, I'm very concerned about the state of the multiple-centre, Mr. Speaker. Since July 2021, Hurricane destroyed the facility, Mr. Speaker. And we have not been able to use it for the public, has not been able to have access to it, Mr. Speaker. And I'm hoping that under the Ministry of Infrastructure Location, some urgent attention will be given to this facility, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm very, very, very excited about my carnival committee, Mr. Speaker. And you know, denry is the second-best, Mr. Speaker, for hosting carnival. The COVID... And, Mr. Speaker, we have our calendar of events for denry carnival. And I appeal to the entire country, Mr. Speaker, to visit denry on the 1st and 2nd of July to celebrate with us our carnival activities. I want to take time to thank Sanya and the rest of the committee members for the effort in putting denry on the map as a serious carnival place to visit during the carnival season, Mr. Speaker. We are also working towards our annual fishermen's feast, Mr. Speaker, which is held every June, end of June. And my committee is already working to make that happen. Mr. Speaker, I must say that I receive requests from a number of my farmers in denry, Mr. Speaker, especially my young farmers who are struggling and challenged in producing commodities, producing agricultural crops, Mr. Speaker. And I have been able to procure some much-needed fertilizer, Mr. Speaker, which will be given to them in the short, in the next few weeks, Mr. Speaker, to assist them in the agricultural enterprise. Mr. Speaker, I must say I am very happy that we can see football happening in denry, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker. And currently, we have the district representative unity football competition going on in denry, Mr. Speaker. I feel very good about this, Mr. Speaker, because it's an opportunity to engage our young men into something more positive, Mr. Speaker. You recall in recent months, Mr. Speaker, a spate of crime happening in the constituency of denry south. And I do hope that will be one way of engaging them in more important activities to better prepare them and to engage them in activities that will keep them away from crime, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to take the opportunity to thank my, the Minister of Finance for an estimate that I must say I support and my ministry in particular, my constituents in particular, I'm hoping that we will get a piece of the pie and we will continue to do what we have to do as a constituency. Mr. Speaker, I want to take the opportunity once again to thank my cabinet colleagues, to thank the Ministry of Finance for putting the budget together. I want to thank my PS and staff of my ministry for putting our ministry budget together. And I look forward for quick implementation of the capital and recurrent programs and activities in my ministry. Mr. Speaker, thank you.