Positive Nelson Being Removed From Dept. of Agriculture, Given New Role to Help Shape Marijuana Blueprint in USVI

Former senator Positive Nelson who was appointed commissioner of the Dept. of Agriculture by Governor Albert Bryan is being removed from the position, the Consortium has learned. The publication was also told by well placed sources that Mr. Nelson will be given a new role in the government's efforts to establish a marijuana industry locally.

Governor Albert Bryan has confirmed the changes to the Consortium, however he did not elaborate. "He is moving to a new role," Governor Bryan said of Mr. Nelson. An exact date regarding when Mr. Nelson would be placed in the new role was not divulged.

The decision to replace Mr. Nelson at the Dept. of Agriculture follows incessant complaints from farmers, community members and most recently senators, who criticized his performance as commissioner of D.O.A. during a Committee on Economic Development and Agriculture hearing in February.

Asked about the developments, Mr. Nelson told the Consortium that the discussion about his removal from D.O.A. was a discussion for this reporter and Governor Bryan. "Mr. Gilbert that's a conversation for you and the governor," he said.

At the February hearing, lawmakers expressed concern about the ability of Mr. Nelson to effectively push the department towards improving the prospects for agricultural production in the territory. Collectively, committee members were unimpressed by his efforts in trying to secure funding from and create synergies with agencies that could bring the territory close to achieving food security and reducing its food import bill. They expressed that he was not being aggressive enough, such as when he testified about trying to get the Office of Management and Budget to release about $2 million that had been made available to the Department of Agriculture since last year.

Dale Browne, co-founder of Sejah Farm — the well-known 15-acre operation located in Estate Castle Burke just north of the V.I. National Guard Armory — in June 2022 said that the V.I. Dept. of Agriculture has failed in its duty to be a facilitator in helping farmers succeed.