Agricultural products must be declared upon entry into St. Kitts and Nevis, says director of agriculture

Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 27, 2020 (SKNIS): The Director of Agriculture, Melvin James, said that all agricultural products must be identified and declared to Customs by travellers upon entry into St. Kitts and Nevis.

Speaking at the Department of Agriculture’s Annual Review and Planning Meeting on February 26, Director James outlined the reasons why one must declare unprocessed agricultural products when one travels.

“When you go overseas and travel, you must not hide agricultural products in your luggage, that is not being smart. We need to know what you are bringing because to you it might be a nice flower, but there may be things contained in it that can harm us,” he said.

The Department of Agriculture advises on its website that “any planting material, plant cutting, seed, live plants, cut flowers, ornamental or other unprocessed plant products originating out of St. Kitts and Nevis require an import permit prior to entry into the Federation.”

The Department further stated: “An import permit must be obtained from the Plant Quarantine Unit, Department of Agriculture St. Kitts, prior to the placement of an order. This document is to be presented to the exporter when ordering your consignment.”