Duggins’ Busy Kickoff at Caribbean Agriculture Week
BASSETERRE: As the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) 2025 unfolds, Minister of Agriculture, The Hon. Samal Duggins, is making waves with high-level engagements that promise to fortify the Federation’s food security amid growing climate threats. The annual forum, running from September 29 to October 3 under the theme “Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming Our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond,” draws regional leaders to tackle everything from sustainable farming to disaster-proof supply chains—a timely focus for our island’s vulnerability to hurricanes and droughts.
Duggins kicked off the week with bilateral meetings alongside key partners, including the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), Aquarian Consult, and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). These discussions, he shared, are “advancing our shared vision for a stronger agricultural sector,” emphasizing collaborative strategies to boost crop yields and livestock health in small-island economies like ours.
A highlight was Duggins’ presentation at the Lynch Caribbean Brokers’ REAP (Resilience through Enhanced Agricultural Protection) session, where he positioned insurance not as mere paperwork, but as “a lifeline” for farmers and fishers. “With effective coverage, our farmers and fishers gain confidence, security, and the ability to invest and innovate,” he stated, lauding the brokers for launching an initiative that could embed resilience into Caribbean food systems. For St. Kitts-Nevis residents, this resonates deeply: our ginger and sweet potato growers, often hit hardest by erratic weather, stand to benefit from tailored policies that mitigate losses and encourage diversification into high-value exports like sea moss or hydroponics.
“Caribbean Week of Agriculture is off to a strong start,” Duggins affirmed. “Together, let’s sow change and harvest resilience for our region.”