FOCUS ON INNOVATION IN AGRICULTURE IN ST. KITTS AND NEVIS WELCOMED BY NIA OFFICIALS

Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 22, 2022 (SKNIS): The Federal Government of St. Kitts and Nevis met with public and private sector stakeholders to discuss the way forward for the agricultural sector during the Annual Review Planning Meeting held today, Tuesday, February 22, 2022, at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort.

The meeting convened under the theme: “Enhancement, Innovation, and Sustainability – A New Strategy for Agriculture in St. Kitts and Nevis.”

Huey Sargeant, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration, welcomed the thrust to focus on innovation.

“Innovation and sustainability are two of the most important concepts as it relates to food security,” he stated at the opening ceremony. “Working in agriculture, it is important to work smarter and to always be in a position to be more efficient. And in working smarter, we have to know what our customers want to eat every day, and as such, we cannot accept seasonal production.”

Permanent Secretary Sargeant stressed the importance of local farmers producing high-quality crops in a manner that is not toxic or harmful and said that a coordinated effort is necessary.

“We are one economic space in St. Kitts and Nevis, and indeed everything that is produced on either island is considered local,” he said. “Our competitors are not other farmers. They complement our efforts. If we want to talk about competition, competition are those containers that come in every week on those shipping lines and they bring what is called fresh produce, but I don’t consider [them to be] fresh produce.”

Mr. Sargeant was supported at the review and planning meeting by six members from the ministry and department of agriculture in Nevis.

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