Onion Production headed for greater land allocation, says Nevis Agriculture Minister

Minister of Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration Hon. Alexis Jeffers

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS — AUGUST 28TH, 2013 — The acreage allocated to onion production on Government-owned farms on Nevis, will be expanded when the new planting season commences in the coming months. Minister of Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Hon. Alexis Jeffers, released that information when he was a guest on the first edition of Inside Government on August 26, 2013, a new show produced by Nevis Television channel 8.

The Minister said while the Administration continued to find ways in which it could develop and improve Agriculture on Nevis there had been a marked increase in the interest in farming on the island.

“This year we are going to increase the acreage of onion production on the island. Over the last five to six years there has been a decrease in the production of onion on the island. We are now focusing our attention on onion production and reducing the production of cotton. We have had many challenges in cotton production and I do believe that we haven’t seen the returns that were anticipated. Some glowing reports were there from the first year when the production was done in cotton and thereafter, we have had numerous challenges.

“That tells me, it is time to focus our attention on a crop that I believe, the returns are not as large but if you were to have sustained production of onion, I do believe, that would be a plus for us. So that is where our focus would be this year. We are going to be planting in Indian Castle, Potworks and Prospect so we have increased the acreage this year. I anticipate that we will start planting in late September or somewhere around early October, so as to meet the demand that would be there early next year,” he said.