Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 22, 2021 (SKNIS): The global tourism industry is beginning to pick back up as more and more persons take a jab against the COVID-19.
Tourism officials in St. Kitts and Nevis are working tirelessly to boost stay-over visitors with emphasis placed on offering an authentic Kittitian experience. One suggestion that has been embraced by Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris is having local food featured on the menu of hotels in the Federation.
The idea was proposed during the April 21 edition of Leadership Matters.
“There is no reason why you can’t have a local dish at least once per week as part of the menu. I think this is where we need to go. You must always find something local on every menu in every hotel in St. Kitts and Nevis,” Dr. Harris stated.
The prime minister singled out Park Hyatt St. Kitts for being “tremendously helpful” to local producers, particularly fisher folk. The hotel features fresh local fish at Fisherman’s Village.
“I know a number of our local fisherfolk that bring produce to the Park Hyatt and I know that at the … ownership level of the hotel, they have a passion for supporting locals. I think we need to get every hotel into that mode,” said Prime Minister Harris.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ron Dublin-Collins, also commended Rams Supermarket for supporting local fishers. He noted that an arrangement exists between crop farmers and several hotels that facilitates the purchasing of local produce.
The demand for local produce by hotels has decreased significantly as tourist arrivals have dropped drastically as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The permanent secretary said he expects the arrangement to blossom again as global tourism rebounds.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 21, 2021 (SKNIS): The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) will be working closely with the Ministry and the Department of Agriculture in St. Kitts and Nevis to increase water efficiency in farming.
Sharon Jones, Technical Specialist with IICA, spoke about a new development project on Tuesday’s (April 20) edition of Leadership Matters – A Virtual Forum Series. It is designed to help the seasonal planting of crops. The seasonal planting of crops is becoming more challenging given the increasingly unpredictable weather conditions with less rainfall as a result of climate change.
“Some farmers at the beginning of March, April, had a very difficult time to get started because they did not have access to water,” Ms. Jones stated while referring to efforts to boost food production during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“The rainy season as you will remember started quite late last year so, July, August, were very dry, and then the rains really came towards the end of October to December. So, the predictiveness of rainfall is not as it was,” the IICA official indicated. What this does to farmers is that they are not able now to foresee and can’t go into production the way they would like to.”
When implemented, the project will boost farmers’ resiliency in water management by facilitating greater water storage and utilizing it more efficiently.
“You get more from the drop,” Ms. Jones added. “This is very important so that you are now able to plan which crops you will use at what period of time.”
Work is continuing on the project design and will be released later this year.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 21, 2021 (Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries & Marine Resources):
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources has been lauded for the success of Iits most recently held Agri Night in the Market initiative.
While appearing on the April 20 edition of Leadership Matters, Educator and well known farmer, Winston Morris congratulated the Ministry for successfully organizing the event and explained why he is pleased about the Night Market.
“I would like to congratulate the Department for hosting that because I have been a beneficiary of that process because a lot of my products were asked for and sold for that occasion so I feel glad. Continue to do it and do it more regularly, I believe it is better for all farmers because our stuff goes off like that so it really, really, really has been good. It really has been good”, Mr. Morris exclaimed.
In sharing the same sentiments, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Hon. Timothy Harris expressed his delight in hearing how the Agri Night Market has been widely advantageous to all agriculture stakeholders.
He said, “I too would want to commend the Department of Agriculture for this effort. I am very happy by what Winston has said that it has provided an additional avenue for farmers to earn a livelihood and therefore add to their take home pay if you will as a result of participation in agriculture. Not just those involved in the production of produce but those who go on to do some form of Agro processing; use the input whether fruits etcetera to bottle drinks or create the hot sauce etcetera, etcetera. It is a good cross section of persons who in fact benefits, so I also am encouraged by the reports and happy to hear one of our leading farmers speak well about it”.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ron Dublin Collins said that the feedback from the Agri Night Market has been extremely positive and has influenced the decision to host the event on a regular basis.
“The attendance has been great, the vendors have participated [from] all different sectors. We had different stakeholders, we have had livestock, crop, we have had poultry. It has been a work in progress. The last one held last month, the numbers were tremendous. So what we are proposing to do is to have it the last Wednesday in every month”, he revealed.
Collins went on to explain that the initiative aims to increase the buying and selling of goods while also reviving use of the Basseterre Public Market. He announced that the Department of Agriculture will be meeting with vegetable and fruit vendors on Thursday April 22 to discuss what is being offered at the market and how they can be accommodated.
The 3rd edition of the Agri Night in the Market is scheduled for Wednesday May 26. Local produce, fresh fish and meat products will be available for purchase from 5pm-9pm.
]]>NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 30, 2021) – – Hon. Alexis Jeffers, Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Lands in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), is encouraging persons to regularize their status with respect to any government land they currently occupy.
Hon. Jeffers addressed the matter during a statement at the most recent sitting of the Nevis island Assembly.
“I want to encourage the entire island of Nevis, anyone who currently occupies government land and has no documents for those lands to come in to the Nevis Housing and Land Development Corporation (NHLDC), let us get you regularized so you have that tenancy.
“Come in to the Corporation or you can go to the Department of Agriculture where they rent crown lands…
“Whether you’re in Maddens, whether you’re in Potworks, whether you’re in Cades Bay- wherever you are on the island, if you are there I’m asking you to come and regularize your status,” he said.
He asserted that the NIA has simplified the process of acquiring government land on Nevis. Persons wishing to rent Crown land have to fill out an application at the Department of Agriculture and once the application is approved, terms and conditions will be determined.
The leasing and purchasing of government land is done through the NHLDC.
“We have made the process as easy as one, two, three for the citizens of this island to gain access to the lands that we call the people’s land.
“You can come in and buy the land and you get a certificate of title and then you’re on your merry way. You wave your papers through Charlestown as they,” the minister said.
Mr. Jeffers admonished Nevisians not to occupy government land without proper authorization through documentation.
“We [the NIA] are responsible for the patrimony of the people of this country, we are responsible for the management of our land resources…and we will do so within the law.
“The lands are available to us. Some may say it’s the people’s land but because it’s the people’s land it doesn’t mean that we get up one morning and say ‘I see an acre of land out there and I gone on it’.
“No! There is right way and a wrong way and if we are to live as decent, law-abiding citizens on this island we should always choose the right way because it’s the only way to go. We will encourage all of our young men and women to follow the rules as to what is required of you,” he stated.
The Minister of Lands emphasized that having proper documentation to prove legal access to government land will prevent any conflict between persons and the government or between individuals.
]]>NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 23, 2021) — The Ministry of Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) will host Agrofest, an all-day event highlighting local farmers and their produce on March 26, 2021, at the Villa Grounds in Charlestown, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Mr. Huey Sargeant, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture during a visit to the venue on March 19, 2021, noted that the event with the theme “Eat locally; boost Immunity” which replaces the annual Agriculture Open Day, will be streamlined in keeping with the COVID-19 protocols.
“We understand that we are in the midst of the COVID pandemic and there are certain protocols that we have had to observe and the authorities which is the police of St. Kitts and Nevis [Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force] would have granted us permission to have this activity…
“We have to do this under very strict COVID protocols but still we are welcoming persons to come out and celebrate with us… Wear your masks. We have sanitising stations so we want you to come. We want you to celebrate. We want you to support our farmers,” he said, adding there would be light entertainment.
In relation to the theme selected, Mr. Sargeant explained that it took some doing to come up with one, due to the ongoing pandemic.
“We had quite a bit of debate in terms of coming up with a theme especially in light of our COVID pandemic.
“We want you to boost your immunity, and you know once you consume things that are produced locally it will boost that immunity. So in case the worst happens, we are sure once you consume locally you will be strong enough to fight off most and many things,” he said.
Mr. Sargeant stated that although patrons will not be required to pay an entrance fee, he called for patience entering the grounds due to expected delays because they will be required to provide their names, contact numbers and addresses as part of the COVID-19 protocols, in the event that they need to be contacted.
Mr. Steve Reid, Chief Extension Officer in the Department of Agriculture who accompanied Mr. Sargeant explained that this time around most of the booths would be for farmers to enable them to sell their produce.
He noted that eating healthy is something the Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Ministry of Health are actively promoting and the local produce is mostly organically grown.
Apart from the health benefits, Mr. Reid underscored what he described as reasonable prices patrons can expect.
“We have a range of vegetables including our famous local onions. We will have sweet potatoes, we will also have pumpkins and in great quantity and very, very cheap prices. So individuals who are preparing for their Easter dishes could come and get it at a very reasonable price.
“We would also have the Abattoir here with their products whether its sliced or processed meats. We also will have the ornamentals here for those of us who are looking for fruit trees, ornamentals we will cater to that. So it’s basically similar to our Open Day. We will have a range of stuff at fairly great prices. The only difference is we would not be congested. We would have people coming and going in sequence,” he said.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 25, 2021 (SKNIS): In April of 2018, the Department of Agriculture and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine entered into an agreement to introduce a Goat Breeding Programme with an objective to improve the Federation’s local goat flock.
Director of Agriculture, Melvin James, announced during the radio and television show ‘Working for You’ on February 24 that the Department of Agriculture is proud to announce successes in the Goat Breeding Programme.
He said, “I am happy to report that we have brought in three males and so far, we are able to get 103 young kids from the breeding programme.”
“As we speak about transforming agriculture, one of the things we have to do is to be able to get the animals to have a greater weight gain in a shorter period of time,” Mr. James said. “We introduced a more superior blood, a more superior male that grows faster and puts on weight faster.”
The name of this special type of goat breed is called the Boer which is a goat specialized for meat as it is well known for putting on weight in a shorter period of time.
“The Federation has available to it now 103 improved animals and of course we will continue to do breeding, and we have 34 males so those can be used as stud males, some 68 females, and so they are available for sale, and folks can have them and improve their stock.”
The Goat Breeding Programme initially began in 2018 at Bayford’s but experienced setbacks such as sickness of animals, shortage of water, and lack of transportation.
The animals were then moved to a private farm in Parson’s Village where the breeding resumed in March of this year.
The overall budget for the Goat Feeding Programme is an estimated EC $18, 663.91.
Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 24, 2021 (SKNIS): The Coronavirus pandemic has threatened many aspects of human life, and food security is no exception. Through sustainable agriculture, farmers can provide a constant supply of healthy nutritious food, be it meat or fruits and vegetables for public consumption. This was made evident on ‘Working for You’ on Wednesday, February 24, which focused on the theme, Sustainable Agriculture in Challenging times.
Ian Chapman, Crops Programme Leader in the Department of Agriculture, stated, “A sustainable agricultural support approach to our ministry will ensure and make our food system more productive. The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged our farmers and… to find new ways of creating or improving our nutrition and our market opportunities…we need to transform and re-balance the way food is produced here within the Federation”.
He added that the production of local crops and the harvesting of local meats help to eliminate the unhealthy chemicals that are placed on imported food to preserve them until they reach into the consumers’ hand. The availability of locally grown food ensures that there is a healthier supply of food to satisfy the citizens’ needs for food and nutrition, additionally, it reduces the fear that citizens may face about the unavailability of food due to the import-export challenges associated with Covid-19.
According to Mr. Chapman, “we are promoting healthy diets to strengthen our immune system”. Unhealthy eating has far-reaching consequences that surpass the individual and places a strain on the public health system. The panellists agreed that eating healthy helps to minimize the presence of non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension, that are associated with the consumption of unhealthy foods.
Mr. Chapman said that one key initiative by the Department of Agriculture to help promote healthy eating is the “Farmers Agriculture Assistance Programme that will assist farmers in enhancing their productivity”
Further support by the Agriculture Department to promote food security and healthy eating as noted by Director Melvin James, focused on preserving the lives of the livestock through the Tick Prevention Programme. He noted that “we were able to make good strides in our Tick Control Programme, in our Pest Surveillance and Disease identification…”
Over the years, the Tick Prevention Programme which started in 2018 has contributed significantly to the preservation of livestock. Drawing a parallel to demonstrate the effectiveness of the programme, Mr. James stated that the presence of ticks on the animals didn’t just affect the skin of the animals but also their survival. He noted, “We had like 1230 animals that we lost; 308 goats, 290 sheep, and worse, affected cattle, over 600 cattle.” Taking the initiative, the department was able to reduce the presence of ticks on the animals and subsequently the mortality rate, thereby ensuring the security of meat for consumption by locals.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 23, 2021 (SKNIS): Officials from the Department of Agriculture will be featured on the popular government radio and television programme “Working for You” on Wednesday, February 24, 2021.
The special guests will be Melvin James, Director in the Department of Agriculture, and Ian Chapman, Crops Programme Leader.
The discussion will focus on the recently held Annual Review and Planning Meeting 2021 with a focus on the Director’s Report for 2020, the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021, new initiatives for 2021, and the way forward for the Department of Agriculture among other pertinent issues.
Hosted by Lesroy Williams, “Working for You” offers news, views, reviews, interviews and all the happenings of the Team Unity Administration, which has pledged transparency, accountability, good governance, and a fair share for all citizens of the Federation.
The programme features government officials, heads of government departments, permanent secretaries and other government officials who will provide you with timely, relevant and accurate information as it relates to the social, economic, human, political and sustainable development of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Working for You” is carried live every Wednesday on ZIZ, WinnFM and Sugar City Rock from 1:30-3:00 pm and rebroadcast on Freedom FM and Von Radio on Thursdays from 7:30-9:00 am and 10:30-12:00 pm respectively, and CBN-Radio on Sundays from 5:00-6:30 pm. The programme is also streamed live on the SKNIS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sknismedia/ and the SKNIS Youtube channel.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 22 2021 (ZIZ News) The Department of Agriculture donated cabbages from a new initiative to Her Majesty’s Prison and the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force in a small ceremony at the camp on Thursday.
Senior Officer in the Department of Agriculture, Ian Chapman said the 240 pounds of cabbages being donated came from the Department of Agriculture’s experimental station.
Chapman said the donations were made to both institutions because of the nutritional value of the cabbages
Warrant Officer Class 2 from the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force, L.A Huggins and Prison Officer Carey from Her Majesty’s Prison both thanked the department for their kind gesture.
The Mental Institute also received seedlings from the department.
Chapman said the department will also be making more donations to institutions such as the JNF General Hospital, Cardin Home and the Children’s Home.
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NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (January 20, 2021) — Mr. Mc Levon “Mackie” Tross, one of the island’s leading farmers in the use of greenhouse technology on Nevis, has underscored the need for farmers on the island to be treated with greater respect.
Mr. Tross, who was the featured speaker at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agenda 2021 forum at the St. Paul’s Anglican Church Hall on January 19, 2021, spoke on the issue while delivering the feature address before stakeholders in the agriculture sector on Nevis.
“The landscape of our farmers is changing. Farmers are entrepreneurs, yes, business people who are responsible for feeding our nation and must be treated with dignity and respect,” he said.
Mr. Tross who is also the owner and manager of A-1Farms at Gingerland, noted that there is also a need to educate farmers to better position them to achieve greater yields and returns on their investments.
“There is a need to educate our farmers on the use of proper record and bookkeeping; crop yield estimation, cost of production and return on investment calculations.
“This can be achieved through the Small Enterprise Development Unit (SEDU) and the Department of Agriculture. We must utilise our allied agencies Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and Taiwanese if we do not have the skill set in house,” he said.
Mr. Tross also expressed the need for greater knowledge on the importance of agriculture, not only for farmers but the entire nation including every preschooler.
He also spoke of the significance of technology in the agriculture sector, acknowledging that opportunities to enhance productivity can be found in new and emerging technologies which can help farmers adapt to an ever-changing environment.
“Technology can provide the Agricultural industry with tools and information to make more informed decisions and improve productivity. Technology includes Digital Agriculture, Green House Production, Hydroponic practices, exploring the use of tissue culture, etc.
Digital Agriculture, Mr. Tross explained, is the use of digital technology to integrate agricultural production from the farm to the consumer.
“Digital technologies have the potential to provide farmers with the information and ability to meet these challenges and seize opportunities for growth,” he said, adding that it also enables improved traceability of agricultural products, providing peace of mind for consumers and increased value for farmers.
The forum was the third in a series hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture for stakeholders in the agriculture sector to enable the ministry to report on the past year and to chart the course for the ensuing year.
Among those present at the forum were Hon. Mark. Brantley, Premier of Nevis; Hon. Alexis Jeffers, Deputy Premier and Minister of Agriculture; Mr. Randy Elliott, Director of the Department of Agriculture; Mr. Floyd Liburd, Deputy Director; Mr. Steve Reid, Chief Extension Officer; Mr. Ron Dublin Collins, Federal Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Agriculture; Ms. Sharon Jones, IICA Representative; and Mr. Kistian Flemming, CARDI Representative.
]]>NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (January 18, 2021) – Deputy Premier Hon. Alexis Jeffers, Minister of Agriculture, Cooperatives and Fisheries in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) is calling on stakeholders in the agriculture sector to keep the momentum sparked by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agro Agenda 2021 forum on January 19, 2021, at the St. Paul’s Anglican Church Hall, the Minister said the theme of the annual event “Revitalizing the passion and thrust as we ensure food and nutrition security”, is extremely timely as farmers and government alike seek to build on the gains made in the sector in response to the pandemic.
“This activity is a means of looking forward. Never before in our history, have we seen such a situation where we have had to change our whole attitude toward agriculture. In the past we had a lot of glowing talks about agriculture. It was on the lips of our people, but the action didn’t match our speech and our talk, our discourse but of course we have seen since 2020 that there is an urgency of now.
“Now is the time to plant more; now is the time to engage more; now is the time to ensure that we are providing the nutritious food that our people need, so as to ensure we are cultivating healthy communities. Now is also the time for us to ensure that we are putting ourselves in a position to eliminate any difficulties and stress that may be caused if we were to have a similar situation or a more acute situation that could develop in the future,” he said.
Hon. Jeffers pointed out that as a result of the NIA putting certain plans in place for the agriculture sector in January 2020, coupled with the COVID-19 stimulus provided to farmers and fishers in March, there had been a marked increase in food production on Nevis over the past several months, and the time had come for the island to be in a position to feed itself.
“We want to ensure that if we are able to feed ourselves for a year or more, it therefore means that we are moving to what we consider import substitution. We cannot go about our business depending on other countries to feed us anymore. We have to find our way to feed ourselves, and that is why these activities are important, to engage our stakeholders, to engage the general public, and to ensure that all of us are onboard in our effort to ensure that we are providing a strong and vibrant agricultural economy here in Nevis, and by extension the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis,” he said.
The Minister encouraged stakeholders to continue the collaborative efforts exhibited during the crisis in order to strengthen the local agricultural economy going forward, so that the island’s food import bill could continue to trend downward.
“So all of the various sectors of the agricultural economy must be working cohesively; we must be working as partners to ensure that collectively we are building an agriculture infrastructure that would provide us with the security and sustainability that we seek to achieve now and in the future…
“We have the resources, we have the tools, let us put them to good use… I want us to continue to build on those principles that we have been talking about. Let us grow what we eat and eat what we grow, and let our food be our medicine and let our medicine be our food,
he advised.
Agro Agenda 2021 provided stakeholders in the sector with data on the performance of the various areas in the sector from the previous year and outlined projections and plans for 2021.
The event saw in attendance Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis, other Cabinet Ministers from the NIA, officials from the Nevis Department of Agriculture and the federal Ministry of Agriculture, farmers, and representatives from allied agencies.
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NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (January 14, 2021) — The Department of Agriculture on Nevis will be resuming its Fresh Vegetable Market on January 15, 2021, at the Marketing Unit in Charlestown.
Mr. Randy Elliott, Director of Agriculture in the Department of Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), said on January 14, 2021, that the initiative, which started in November 2020, has been well received by members of the public.
“Since November we have been organizing the event practically every Friday, but we took a two-week break over the Christmas period and people have been asking when we would be starting again.
“The general public has been very supportive of the event. I think they appreciate that they can get fresh local produce, and get them at a very low cost,” he told the Department of Information.
The Director said the initiative has a multipart objective, benefitting both the farmers and consumers.
“We want to ensure that persons have access to healthy foods. At the Marketing Unit we consolidate food from farmers around the island and sell the various produce at very cheap prices. We understand that due to the COVID-19 pandemic persons don’t have the resources they would have had before so we’re trying to keep the cost of locally produced food as low as possible.
“We also want to ensure that farmers can make a livelihood from their work, while not losing too much of their time having to leave their farms to go and sell the produce themselves,” he said.
Mr. Elliott noted that because more persons have ventured into farming since the onset of COVID-19, coupled with the NIA’s concessions to farmers, Nevis has seen an explosion with respect to the production of sweet potato and pumpkin.
Each week the list of produce sold varies based on harvesting patterns
This Friday [January 15], the Marketing Unit will be selling tomatoes at $2.50 per pound; pumpkin at $2.50; sweet potato at $3.50; green papaya at $3.00; seasoning peppers at $5.00; green banana at $2.00; string beans at $3.00; and sorrel at $10.00 per parcel.
The Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Vegetable Market will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 13th , 2020 (ZIZ News):
By: Chaïra Flanders
Efforts being made by the Department of Agriculture and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine continue with aims to strengthen, improve and increase livestock and meat production in St. Kitts.
This was evident following the donation of 3 Boer Buck goats to the Department of Agriculture at Island Country Farm in Parsons Village on Thursday morning.
The Department of Agriculture and Ross University entered into an agreement to introduce a Breeding Program with an objective to improve the federation’s local flock and the dress weight of goat carcass.
During brief remarks, Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Alexis Jeffers said “Ross has been a very good corporate partner in the area of Agriculture and more specifically in terms of improving the Breeding programme here in the federation of St. Kitts and Nevis”.
He used the opportunity to highlight the advantages of having our local farmers raise the animals to produce quality meat. He said our people can always stand confident with the type of meat that is being consumed.
“Throughout the world these days we are hearing about food and meat being raised in a lab or meat that is being glued together and exported to various parts of the world. Now the important thing about visiting a farm like this, you get a very good idea as to the effort that is being put into breeding these animals and raising them as well. They are being raised in a hygienic way, they are being raised in a humane way and that is what we want to happen here in the federation”, he said.
Dr. Sean Callanan, Dean of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine noted the importance of the Goat Breeding Programme.
“The importance here is the genetic diversification of animals and how that improves the quality of the animal and it basically ultimately ends up as the quality of the product that is on your plate. None of this would have been possible without the involvement of students and I do want to stress, we have some of them here today, that these were the brains behind this initiative and gave us the power to really move forward with it”, Dr. Callanan said.
The Dean also expressed that he was grateful for the partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and his team.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ron Dublin Collins commended goat breeders and Owners of Island Country Farm, Mr and Mrs Neal and Michelle Mitchell and said that it is the hope of the Ministry to expand the initiative to other farms as well.
Farmer Neal thanked all stakeholders for helping to make the program possible.
Associate Professor at Ross University, Dr. Aspinas Chapwanya, a representative from the Small Ruminant club at Ross University, Director of Agriculture, Melvin James, livestock officers and other officials from the Department of Agriculture were present at the handing over ceremony.
The Goat Breeding Program initially began in 2018 at Bayford’s but experienced setbacks such as sickness of animals, shortage of water and lack of transportation.
The animals were then moved to Island Country Farms in Parsons Village where the breeding resumed in March 2019.
Just about 40 offspring have so far been bred as a result of the program.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 30th , 2020 (ZIZ News):
By: Chaïra Flanders
The Ministry of Agriculture held its third quarter Policy and Planning Review meeting at the Department of Agriculture Conference Room on Thursday October 30 2020.
The meeting was held in keeping with the Ministry’s Agenda 2020, to assess the Ministry’s performance for the third quarter and to plan for the fourth quarter of 2020.
During his opening remarks, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Ron Dublin Collins explained the importance of having the quarterly review.
‘Today’s meeting is very important for us as it provides a forum for us to take a serious look at what we are doing, where we are, and where we want to be and how we intend to get there. The meeting seeks to build the foundation for collaboration and to allow for discussion and exchange of ideas. That is why I’m particularly happy that the representatives of farmers and fishers are here to join with us because we cannot do this on our own and the collaborative effort of all stakeholders is critical”, he said.
In his presentation, Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Alexis Jeffers, said the reports that are presented during the quarterly reviews help to contribute towards policy development that can enhance the sector.
“We’re not just going to sit on that information and say it sounds good or does not sound good enough. We are going to utilise the data that is presented, we are going to utilise the information that is presented to us as well and also use that to shape policies and programs moving into the New Year. Whether in land distribution, whether in water, whether in crop production, how can we increase that and improve on what we are delivering to our farmers. Those are the things that we are hoping to accomplish”, Jeffers.
The Agriculture Minister also used the opportunity to encourage all stakeholders to do their part to push the Agriculture industry.
“I want to say to all of us, that with this new thrust that we have in Agriculture, the whole federation is looking towards the Department and Ministry of Agriculture to deliver and when they mean deliver, deliver something substantial so we can say that we are moving in the right direction in pushing Agriculture to the heights that we know it can get to in this federation”, the Minister added.
Presentations were made by all heads of units in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources. The audience was given the opportunity to ask questions following each presentation.
The meeting also saw in attendance, officials from the Ministry of Agriculture on Nevis.
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Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 14th , 2020 (ZIZ News): Plans are in place for 2021 to continue the work of the Department of Agriculture to transform its livestock programme by implementing new systems and programmes with the re-launch of the Bayford’s Livestock Centre of Excellence.
This is according to Chief Veterinary Officer at the Department of Agriculture; Dr. Tracey Challenger who was speaking during the re-launch ceremony of the Bayford’s Livestock Centre of Excellence on Wednesday.
She said there are a number of training programmes that will continue in 2021.
“We will continue our training activities for 2021 it will include training in production and financial management and methods for odor control in poultry pens.”
She added that the department will also be experimenting with alternative feed sources for poultry and swine as well as the reintroduction of a programme to manage access roads along with a project on paddock rehabilitation.
To combat theft, Dr. Challenger says the livestock unit will introduce the use of microchips to track livestock.
“The livestock unit will also introduce a sophisticated small ruminant housing model using free materials on the island, we have a problem with praedial larceny and one of the measures that have been put forward for 2021 is the availability of microchip to the farmers to help curb this praedial larceny.”
Dr. Challenger also said that the livestock unit will be implementing a standardized production system for each species of livestock for farmers to follow in an effort to maintain a certain quality of meat being sold to the public.
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