Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 22, 2021 (SKNIS): Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Ron Dublin-Collins, showed his appreciation to farmers, fisherfolk, and agro-processors on April 21 during the virtual forum series ‘Leadership Matters’ hosted by Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris.
Mr. Dublin-Collins said, “I want to commend our farmers, our fishers, our agro-processors, for the tremendous work that they are doing to ensure that we can produce even at the level that we are at right now.”
“For those who are partnering with the Ministry and Department to improve production, we understand that the challenges are many; we have begun the process of addressing them,” he said. “We assure you that we will continue to work with you to address these challenges.”
“We see the realities of what is happening on the farm as we visit farm to farm and we realize the challenges with pests and every other area,” said Mr. Dublin-Collins.
“The Ministry assures you we will continue to raise our standard in terms of our service to you and for you with our extension services and the other inputs where the government can cushion the cost to make it easier for you,” he said.
“The work that you do is tremendous and there is no doubt about it. Officials who go out on the sea so often and risk their lives to ensure that we get fresh fish,” he said.
“From the reports that we received from our own lab here in terms of testing our foods, our food is safe, and it is of a high quality and we want to encourage people to support local,” said the permanent secretary.
“I want to commend all of you and to advise that we continue in this process of reform,” he said. “We believe together we can reform the agricultural sector and change the realities with our import bill and strengthen the financial position of our farmers, our fishers, and our agro-processors.”
]]>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, February 19, 2021 (SKNIS): Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Ron Collins, said that the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has delivered well to farmers and fisherfolk, and will continue to support them under the Farmers and Fisherfolk Assistance Programme.
“Farmers and Fishers have benefited greatly from the stimulus package provided by the government in 2020,” said Mr. Collins during remarks on the development of the agricultural and fisheries sectors on February 19.
Mr. Collins said that the 2020 stimulus package aided farmers and fishers by greatly reducing prices on seeds, feed, and seedlings. He said that the government also made available land, wire, and other building materials.
“The Government has provided support by assigning STEP workers to farmers and fishers to enhance their operations, land preparations, provision of chemical and fertilizers—repair of paddocks has also been contributed,” he said.
The permanent secretary also highlighted the work of the Livestock Unit at the Department of Agriculture saying that the Unit adequately provided free treatment and Bayticol to control and arrest the Dermatophilosis that decimated the livestock within the Federation.
Additionally, he said, “Our Assistance Programme, made possible by the Federal Government, has made available funds to support the activities in helping farmers overcome some of the challenges they face,” while adding that the Federal Government made a further injection of an additional three million dollars for the year 2021 that he says, “will serve to ensure that the target of increased production and decreased import bill is achieved.”
“The opportunities in agriculture have increased because of the assistance provided,” Mr. Collins said. “Many of our farmers and fishers can speak to our commitment to helping them in their various farming and fishing endeavours.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 18, 2021 (SKNIS): During the February 17 National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) Press Briefing, medical officials shared with the public that the COVID-19 vaccine will be given in three stages.
Medical Chief of Staff at the JNF General Hospital, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, stated that when determining who will be vaccinated first, the World Health Organization (WHO) has three goals in mind. These include to decrease serious death and serious disease as much as possible, preserve the functioning of society, and reduce the extra burden COVID-19 is having on people already facing disparities.
Speaking to the stage approach, the Chief Medical Officer said that enough vaccines are available to cover 20 percent of the population. Therefore, vaccination will be done through prioritizing and targeting.
“The National Immunization Committee has met and determined the target groups for the various stages,” she said. “So we will roll out this plan in three stages.”
In Stage 1a, it would be health care workers as they are at high to very risk. These workers include all specialists and internists, doctors and nurses on the COVID-19 Ward, the Operating Theatre, Intensive Care Unit, Accident and Emergency, COVID-19 Testers, Health Centre Nurse Managers, Aids and Emergency Medical Services.
Stage 1b includes border protection staff along the corridor of containment: Port Health, Immigration, Customs, Ground Transportation (Taxi Drivers), Hotel Workers at Front Desk, Security and Lobby.
Stage 1c includes the executive arm of government and essential workers outside of the health sector including police and defence force, coast guard, fire and rescue.
Stage 1d includes older adults (60-79 years) with chronic diseases and two or more of the following comorbidities: diabetes, respiratory conditions like emphysema and asthma, renal disease, auto-immune conditions and coagulopathies.
Stage 1e is an emergency reserve of vaccines for utilization for outbreak response or mitigation.
Stage 2a includes health care workers who are at high to very high risk in nursing homes (public and private) in-home care services, and COVID-19 Laboratory Staff.
Stage 2b include older adults 60 to 70 years of age with no or one co-morbidity, in nursing homes, in home care. Dr. Laws noted that older adults, who are 80 years or older, would be medically evaluated for suitability of receiving the vaccine.
Stage 2c includes persons under 60 years of age with chronic diseases and the following comorbidities: diabetes, respiratory conditions like emphysema and asthma, renal disease, auto-immune conditions, and coagulopathies.
Stage 2d includes socioeconomic groups including low-income migrant settlements (St. Kitts –Newtown, Irish Town/McKnight, Market Street; Nevis –Low Street, Craddock Road, Bath Village), disadvantaged persons registered in the social security benefit systems, persons with disabilities, low-income groups, hard to reach populations, Mental Health Day Treatment Centre.
Stage 3a will be targeting all the staff and teachers in the Ministry of Education from the Early Childhood phase to the tertiary level.
Stage 3b will be targeting essential workers outside of the health system. These include police and defence force, municipal services, other civil servants, agricultural and food industry workers, ground, and sea transportation drivers.
Stage 3c will include social employment groups including prison workers and residents, manufacturing industry workers, New Horizons Detention Centre, the Children’s Home and offshore medical school dorms.
Stage 3d will be targeting health care workers who are at low risk. These include the Medical Ward Staff, Surgical Ward Staff, Cardin Home Staff, Flamboyant Nursing Home Staff, Ministry of Health Administration and Clerical Staff.
Stage 3e will focus on persons at high risk of transmitting the infection and young and middle-aged adults who may not have any chronic illness.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 10th, 2021 (ZIZ News) The Chamber of Industry and Commerce is calling on farmers to take a more business-mindset towards farming if the sector is to grow in the future.
Delivering an address at the recent Agriculture Annual Review Meeting Chamber President Giselle Matthews said agriculture production must be planned and strategized.
She also spoke of the Chamber’s role in establishing links between farmers, their produce and the consumer.
She said another factor that has put limitations on the sector is the attitude certain persons have towards farming.
Mrs Matthews also applauded the Government for injecting the $10Million into the Agriculture (including Livestock and Fisheries) last year to help boost the sector which was severely impacted by Covid-19.
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, February 04, 2021 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Farmers and fisherfolks in St. Kitts and Nevis were today, Thursday, February 04, reminded of their important role in the overall growth of the Federation’s economy, and of the Team Unity administration’s unwavering support for the development of the agricultural and fisheries sectors.
“We are well placed as a country to begin the recovery from the worst COVID-19 economic impact. Indeed, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that St. Kitts and Nevis can realise an 8 percent economic growth in 2021. Of course, this growth will not come easy, it will not come by us waiting for it to happen and hoping that it will happen. We will have to work hard in 2021 for it. This strong turnout of farmers to this particular session is an indication of your high interest in the sector and your commitment to hard work. It is you, the people in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources that will make the growth in agriculture happen,” said Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris.
The prime minister was at the time delivering remarks at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources Annual Review and Agenda 2021 Meeting held at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort.
Over the past year, the Government has made significant financial investments in the agricultural sector that was instrumental in assisting the farming and fishing community to rebound following the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Harris said, “My Government believes in your sector and the contribution that it will make. That is why we have invested $10 million in our stimulus package to boost production in the agriculture sector and ensure greater food security for the Federation. Our plans are to inject an additional $5 million in stimulus over the next two years, starting with $3 million which will be available in 2021 to boost production and ensure greater food security. Combined with our $10 million committed as part of the stimulus…we have committed five more million dollars over the next two years to bring the special stimulus support to $15 million.”
The prime minister said this assistance should not be looked at as a hand out but rather as “a sign of the trust and belief that we have in the agricultural sector to protect jobs, create new jobs, and help rebuild our economy. Indeed, hundreds of farmers and fishers received well needed assistance, putting their livelihoods back on track.”
As part of its stimulus package introduced in March 2020, the government has injected ten million dollars into the agricultural sector and waived the water payments of farmers for six months as a measure to boost agricultural production.
During his 2021 Budget presentation in December of last year, Prime Minister Harris announced the extension of nine of the 17 measures outlined in its comprehensive $120-million stimulus package. Among them was the waiver of payments for the consumption of water by farmers until June 2021.
Additionally, the Government provided support in the way of fencing wires, free harrowing services, and free inputs such as seeds and seedlings to assist farmers, while more than 200 fishermen benefited from the provision of fish trap wire, fishing line, hooks, rope, buoys and safety equipment.
]]>BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, November 30, 2020 (MMS-SKN) — Federal Minister of Environment and Cooperatives the Hon Eric Evelyn, while observing that there has been a surge in interest in agriculture and commending the growth of cooperatives on the island of St. Kitts, he has also made an appeal for persons on St. Kitts to support the cooperatives by buying local.
Minister Evelyn made the remarks after a tour of Agro Strip 2020 which was held on Friday November 27 on Pond Road in Basseterre under the theme ‘Locally Grown, Locally Owned’.
“I am exceptionally pleased with what is taking place here on the Agro Strip today,” said the Hon Evelyn. “Of course this is something that used to happen previously but we have decided to make it much bigger this year. We know that there has been a surge and there is an increase in interest in agriculture on St. Kitts and we have a number of cooperatives here on St. Kitts and we wanted to in some way promote what they are doing.”
The Honourable Minister said he was pleased with the turnout in terms of the cooperatives that included farmers’ cooperatives, fishermen cooperatives, agro processors cooperatives, credit unions cooperatives, the St. Kitts Taxi Cooperative, and the Craft House. He observed that this year’s Agro Strip was the biggest that has been held, adding that he was over the moon that it was taking place.
“This is what we need – we need to work together,” observed the Hon Evelyn. “That is what cooperatives is all about – togetherness, and we will endeavour for the rest of 2020 and beyond for us to continue to work together. We can move mountains and I want to take this opportunity once again to thank all of you who are taking part and we want to encourage all of St. Kitts, when we have an activity of this nature come out and buy local.”
He thanked the staff of the Ministry and Department of Cooperatives led by Permanent Secretary Ms Sharon Rattan, and Registrar of Cooperatives Mr Clyde Thompson, for having done a marvellous job in putting the event together and promoting it, which he noted will be the springboard of many other such activities to come.
“I am happy as well that the Ministry of Health is here to show the link between local produce and health, because the more local produce you consume, the healthier you will be and the wealth of the nation is based on the health of the nation,” commented Minister Evelyn. “So I am happy for the collaboration today.”
Visiting Agro Strip 2020 included Premier of Nevis the Hon Mark Brantley, Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China on Taiwan, His Excellency Tom Lee, and Ambassador His Excellency Vance Amory. Reigning National Monarch Mr Sylvester Hodge, better known as King Socrates, who attended Agro Strip 2020 in his capacity as President of St. Kitts Taxi Cooperative, performed for the first time his 2020 Senior Calypso Monarch song, ‘Between a rock and a hard place’.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Cooperatives, Ms Sharon Rattan, while welcoming persons to Agro Strip 2020, admitted that it was the first time she was getting so close to people who grow food. She noted she was excited about the quality of the locally grown food and was also enjoying on site cooking taking place.
“With Covid-19, this is the way to go,” said Ms Rattan. “We have to start thinking more deeply and creatively about what we grow, how we eat because what if we can’t get it from overseas? So we are very happy to be featuring them and we are thankful for their cooperation. I am very warmed by the response as all morning – there have been persons shopping constantly especially older folks they have come out early and they have been shopping.”
Registrar of Cooperatives, Mr Clyde Thompson, advised that the Agro Strip was first started about two years ago. It was the idea of members of the various cooperatives, as they wanted an opportunity to bring cooperatives more into focus because they felt like they had something special, something unique, and something meaningful to national development but it needed to get out.
For greater exposure, they identified the area on Pond Road that is close to the road on a strip of land where people can drive by. Mr Thompson noted: “We knocked heads, came up with the idea and it started with a collaborative effort when we were part of the Ministry of Agriculture, and it was held right here thanks to the support of the Ministry of Sustainable Development, and they are pleased with how we have utilised this place.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 25th , 2020 (ZIZ News): The Taiwan Technical Mission here in St. Kitts has outlined the ways in which it is providing assistance to farmers, with the launch of a video on its Variability Climate youtube channel.
The video, the 5th of its kind, is entitled “What do we do? How do we help farmers?”.
According to a post on the Mission’s Facebook page, the Mission is supporting backyard gardening as a step toward food security.
Following the previous launch of 4 English agricultural teaching films, the Taiwan Technical Mission launched the ′′ Mission’s Mission ′′ film, which shows the use of ICT and soil analysis techniques in their mission To help farmers increase agricultural production and improve quality in order to strengthen food security and self-sufficiency in the country.
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Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 18th , 2020 (ZIZ News): The Department of Agriculture recognized the federation’s farmers in a prize giving ceremony held at the department’s conference room on Thursday October 15th, 2020.
Shanique Harvey has the details….
The prize giving ceremony comes as part of the Department of Agriculture’s week of activities to commemorate World Food Day on October 16th 2020.
The awards were given across three categories, the crop sector, livestock sub-sector and the marine resources department.
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine resources, Hon. Alexis Jeffers spoke of the profitability of the Agricultural Sector noting that this can help to transform the sector over the next 5 years.
“Agriculture can pay, “Yellow” (Leon Antony-Farmer) is an example many other examples inside here as well too and that is why I have this gut feeling that over the next 5 years we can transform agriculture. I have said to the persons in the ministry and the department that we have to be able to build relationships with our farmers at all levels. We depend on our farmers tremendously for them to produce. For them to produce, they need what is necessary, the infrastructure and all of the implement and all of the inputs that are needed to make agriculture that success that it can be.”
He also reaffirmed the ministry and the department’s commitment to providing the needs of the farmers despite the challenges.
“I want to make that commitment this evening that the Department and Ministry of Agriculture in St. Kitts ….are committed to ensuring that you receive what you need. There will be challenges….but in spite of those challenges and in spite of those difficulties-we have still been able to produce at a reasonable level but the challenges should not stop us from pursuing and pressing on and I want us to have that recommitted attitude towards agriculture so that we can press on and produce more.”
Awards were first given to the two winners of the World Food Day poster competition followed by recipients from the crop sector being awarded in the best farm categories which includes best farm in the back yard, between 1-5 acres, greater than 5 acres, best farm in fruit and tree crop and protective agriculture.
Under the livestock sub-sector category, awards were given for best managed Large ruminant farm, best managed Small ruminant farm, best managed pig farm, best managed small poultry farm and best managed rabbit farm.
The final category from the Marine Resources Department saw recipients being awarded for
Advances in aquaculture, Most Reliable Supplier to Bassettere Fisheries Complex, Coastal Pelagics Fishery and Ocean Pelagics Fishery.
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NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS OCTOBER 12, 2020 (Nevis island Administration) — The following is an address by Hon. Alexis Jeffers, Deputy Premier of Nevis and Minister of Agriculture for World Food Day 2020 observed on October 16.
The agriculture sector on the island of Nevis has always had a special place in the
heart of the people of Nevis. It is common knowledge that grandparents of the
current generation were predominantly working in this important sector from which
they were able to nurture our generation.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) has endorsed the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and has been using the sub theme “Our Actions Our Future.” This essentially means that the decisions we make now, especially in terms of agriculture, determines what happens tomorrow. We can decide to plant a tree that would provide fruits in four to five years or we can decide to clear a plot of agricultural land and establish a car wash. We must decide now which action will be most beneficial for our future.
As we observe and celebrate World Food Day 2020, we will celebrate under the theme “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together.” As we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has highlighted the issues surrounding food and nutrition security of the various countries across the world and Nevis is no different. With our borders closed it is necessary that our farmers are supported to ensure that they can grow the necessary food items that can support our population.
The food that is cultivated, whether it be plant-based or livestock, should be nutritious that it nourishes the body with the necessary proteins, starches, vitamins and minerals for the maintenance of our health and productivity. As a people, we are in need of healthy food on a daily basis. As such our farmers need to be in a position to be able to provide these foods on a continuous basis, and have a coordinated approach where farmers share the responsibility.
On Nevis, we would have piloted a system in the 1990s that was termed the Nevis Model. This received regional attention. That system targeted the Four Seasons Resort Nevis to ensure a sustained supply of local fruits and vegetables. Our goal going forward is to reintroduce this system but it will be expanded to include all hotels, restaurants and supermarkets on the island.
As a Ministry, we also recognise that to do this we have to support the sector by embracing technology and efficient business practices. According to the FAO website, Smallholder farmers need greater access to finance, training, innovation and technology to improve their livelihoods. As they improve their livelihoods, they also improve productivity.
Further we know that there is wastage of food that happens because of inefficient or poor post-harvest practices. To combat this, the Ministry and Department, a few years ago, with the assistance of Inter-Caribbean Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) established the Agro Processing Plant at Prospect to ensure there are value added products available for the items that cannot be consumed within the fresh stages.
Additionally, we have under construction a six-room walk in refrigerator that we envision will extend the lifespan of fresh produce on the island. This is slated to be commissioned in November.
We have also repaired, in the last two months, a walk-in refrigerator in New River for farmers in the area. This was in a state of disrepair and our quest for food security necessitated
this investment.
We have a unique opportunity in Nevis and the Caribbean to educate our
populations about the edible varieties of plants and plant products. We must also
reacquaint ourselves and our youths about traditional fruits and vegetables that
have now made way for less nutritious items on the supermarket shelves. Fruits
such as guava, pomegranates, guineps, English plums and manciport have all
been shown to be better tasting and more beneficial than the apples, grapes and
strawberries that are imported.
Our week of activities to celebrate World Food Day embrace the theme of “Grow,
Nourish, Sustain. Together.” Our activities this year will focus on the consumption of
the foods that we produce and demonstrate the different and attractive ways of
preparing these dishes. The aim, of course, is to ensure the dishes are tasty and attractive.
We have organised a series of activities to recognise World Food Day. On Tuesday 13, we have a Farmers Market at Beach Road for persons in the upper St. Johns and Gingerland areas from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. We will also, on Tuesday, visit our senior farmers and retired Department staff.
Wednesday, we will host another Farmers Market. This time at the top of Government
Road and later in the evening we will make a radio appearance on the popular “On
the Mark” show.
From Thursday to Saturday, we will be at the Nevis Cultural Village for three days of
celebrations. Thursday would be dubbed multicultural Thursday, where in addition to our
farmers and agro-processors, we will highlight foods from around the Caribbean that use items
cultivated on Nevis and Chef Master Classes.
On Friday we have Grill Friday, where we will allow the grill masters of Nevis to serve delicious cuts of pork, beef, chicken and fish.
Our week climaxes on Saturday with a throwback event, where our culinary specialists will feature the traditional foods of Nevis such as konkie, goat water, black pudding and more. We also have down for your interest drink mixology demonstrations and the highlight of the day and week is a Ministers’ Cook-Off.
In closing, as we celebrate World Food Day 2020, I trust these activities will inspire us to “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together.”
Our future food systems need to provide affordable and healthy diets for all, and
decent livelihoods for food system workers, while preserving our natural resources and
biodiversity.
Happy World Food Day 2020, and may God continue to bless us all. I thank you.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 11, 2020 (SKNIS): Honourable Alexis Jeffers says his mission as Minister of Agriculture is to bring about a revolution in the Federation’s agricultural industry during an exclusive interview with SKNIS on September 10.
He highlighted that “We are hoping over the next five years to stimulate the growth in agriculture where we can certainly say that we have done what we have set out to do as an administration to grow agriculture, to get more persons involved and to ensure that we are feeding our nation in a sustainable way.”
“Of course, we have a huge import bill of agricultural products whether they are vegetables, meat products or even fish products, but what we are hoping to do over the next five years and beyond is to ensure that we develop some sustainability in the production of these products and ensure that there are financial returns to our citizens,” said Minister Jeffers.
He also explained that he hopes that “persons who see the growth in this sector can make it a business and earn a living to feed themselves, feed their families and also to send their children to school and to build the infrastructure of this country that can certainly be done to the benefit of all of us in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The minister further explained that it will not be an easy task as one of the challenges needed to be overcome is the relationship between the Ministry of Agriculture and the farmers as there has been some disconnect between them.
He highlighted that one of his hopes as the new Minister of Agriculture is to revitalize that relationship between the Ministry of Agriculture and the farmers and to build bridges with them to ensure that they are on board with his goal of stimulating growth in the agriculture sector.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 19, 2020 (ZIZ News) : The push to ensure food security in the federation by the Department of Agriculture is already seeing positive results with farmers reaping a massive harvest of local vegetables.
Shanique Harvey has the details….
The ramping up of food production came from the possibility of food shortage due to lockdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Department of Agriculture and the government of St. Kitts and Nevis sought to get ahead of this by implementing a stimulus package in the sum of $10 million to aid in increasing food production.
Director of Agriculture, Melvin James said that about 270 farmers were interested in increasing their production.
He added that there were a number of criteria in place for the farmers who were a part of the program which assisted with the success of the harvest.
“We said we’ll work first with persons who have irrigation, we would also work with persons whose lands were just about ready so that we could quickly get the things into the ground and we would work with people first of all who had some experience with the crop and I believe that our criteria was well founded because we got some excellent results,” he said.
The agriculture director revealed that 2 acres of land were cultivated for squash, 3 and half acres for sweet peppers, 12 acres for sweet potatoes and 1 and a half acres for watermelon.
He provided the number of each crop harvested.
“With the 2 acres of squash we have over 18 thousand pounds of squash on the ground right now. Just two days ago a farmer from Cayon brought in 3 thousand pounds of his own production with over another 3 thousand pounds in the field. The water melons we had some 2 thousand pounds stored here from a Famer in Newton Ground, I’m happy to report the watermelons are moving fast and so what we have left today is just a few bags compared to what we started with a week ago and the other thing is the sweet peppers, we have an order from one of the supermarkets for some 5 hundred pounds this week and I’m very happy that we can deliver 5 hundred pounds of sweet pepper to a local supermarket.”
One recipient of the stimulus package was Leon Anthony, a farmer of 5 acres of land in St. Peter’s. He shared the benefits of being a part of the program.
“Receiving the stimulus package was a really good start off for me because during the weather things were so rough and the government had provided the stimulus package to us farmers in which was a very good move to me. I got at least over 3 thousand seedlings of sweet peppers in which I already harvested over 8 hundred pounds so I believe the program is going very good for me so far.”
The Department of Agriculture used the package to assist the farmers with various inputs and services such as land preparation, chemicals, seeds and seedlings, fertilizers, extension services storage and sales.
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, July 15, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has identified, and is making the necessary investments into three specific industries – agriculture, entertainment and the arts, and the cannabis industry – in which the people of St. Kitts and Nevis can be engaged in to earn a living during this time of uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two of the Federation’s main economic drivers, the tourism and the manufacturing sectors, were significantly disrupted when the deadly virus reached St. Kitts and Nevis, forcing lockdowns and the implementation of other precautionary measures by the Government. Majority of persons have since returned to work under strict compliance with COVID-19 regulations.
Appearing on the most recent edition of Leadership Matters on Tuesday, July 14, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris emphasized that there are opportunities for young persons and those interested in agriculture to become engaged.
Dr. Harris noted that agriculture was one of the sectors which his Government strategically targeted for assistance through its $120-million stimulus package.
“Crop farming, livestock farming, and fisheries were the critical areas in which we engaged. We provided support and we continue to do so in terms of compensation to livestock farmers who would have lost their animals as a result of COVID-19. We continue to provide support in the provision of fencing wires, free harrowing services, free inputs such as seeds and seedlings to assist farmers in getting started so that they can make a more meaningful contribution to food security, and the Department of Marine Resources has been providing a number of items of support to our fisherfolk. So, no one is being left behind,” the prime minister said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Harris said his Team Unity Government remains committed to establishing a cannabis industry and has since agreed on the creation of a Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA) that will manage and regulate the industry in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Indeed, the next step was for us to advertise and recruit someone, a marijuana tsar if you will, who would have become the project champion in terms of the buildout of this particular activity and we are still committed to doing that,” Dr. Harris said, while acknowledging that there is still much to be done in this regard.
The honourable prime minister highlighted that the entertainment industry worldwide remains a multi-billion dollar sector, and one which St. Kitts and Nevis must seriously look to tap into going forward.
He added, “This is an area which we are so serious about that we have set up a ministry, a Ministry of Entertainment, Talent Development and Entrepreneurship to assist in a focused response to the development of the talents of our people and they being able to benefit in a profitable way from engagement in entertainment with all the necessary support including intellectual property protection.”
At present, the St. Kitts and Nevis Government is taking steps to restore the hotel and hospitality sector back to a state of near normalcy during the last quarter of 2020.
]]>BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, July 01, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) –Hundreds of farmers and fishers across St. Kitts and Nevis continue to benefit from the intervention of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, through the comprehensive $120-million stimulus package introduced in response to the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of the stimulus package, the St. Kitts and Nevis Government invested $10 million to boost production in the agriculture sector and ensure greater food security for the Federation.
Speaking on the latest edition of the virtual forum series Leadership Matters on Tuesday, June 30, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris revealed that to date his administration has expended $4.9 million on the fisheries, crop and livestock sectors.
“We have harrowed over 120 acres of land, fenced many farms, provided seeds and seedlings free of cost to over 90 farmers. Over 901 trays of sweet peppers have been provided free of cost to farmers, 96 trays of melons, and 192 trays of squash have been distributed to farmers. Our fishers have and will continue to receive fishing wire, hooks, ropes, fish traps, fishing line, and safety equipment,” the prime minister said.
The Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris-led Team Unity administration has identified the agricultural sector as one that will play a major role in the continued development of the Federation St. Kitts and Nevis.
Dr. Harris said, “For the medium and long term, we said that we will reset and prioritize agriculture; by agriculture we make reference to crop, livestock and the fisheries sector in particular, and our interest then and now is on maintaining food security and indeed improving on it and enhancing income flows to our farmers and fishers.”
“Since that time we can say that 135 acres of land have been made available from the 400 acres of land which we redeemed from the land for debt swap arrangement,” Prime Minister Harris added.
Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris also reminded the nation that Bayticol was made free of cost for the first six months of the year to assist farmers.
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