MINISTER DUGGINS CALLS FOR BOLD ACTION AND SOUTH-SOUTH SOLIDARITY AS CARIBBEAN WEEK OF AGRICULTURE 2025, OPENS IN SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS

BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts, September 29, 2025 (SKNIS) – The 19th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA 2025) officially opened today, September 29, 2025, at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort, with powerful addresses and calls to action from government officials and heads of regional agricultural bodies.

Among the featured speakers was the Honourable Samal Duggins, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources of Saint Kitts and Nevis, who delivered a compelling keynote, highlighting the central role of agriculture in regional development and resilience.

“Agriculture is not just another sector,” Minister Duggins declared. “It is the very lifeblood of our people. It is the guarantee that every family can access healthy and nutritious food.”

Reflecting on the event’s theme, “Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond,” Minister Duggins described it as both timely and aspirational.

“The seeds we plant here today, the policies we shape, the partnerships we build, will determine the resilience and the prosperity that we shall reap tomorrow,” he added.

He urged regional leaders to confront long-standing challenges and elevate the agricultural agenda.

“Our region has not always given agriculture the priority it deserves,” he said. “Too often, it has been seen as a last resort, rather than recognised as a pillar of sovereignty and a pillar of growth.”

Minister Duggins also outlined key national efforts, including Saint Kitts and Nevis’ Food Import Reduction Programme, which prioritises local investment to increase the production of high-demand crops such as bananas, plantains, coconuts, and pineapples..

“We are scaling climate-smart practices, expanding agro-processing, and empowering our youth and women to lead in this very transformation,” he noted.

Acknowledging the importance of unified regional efforts, Minister Duggins emphasised the value of South-South cooperation, particularly through strengthening relationships with African nations.

He noted that Saint Kitts and Nevis has been actively forging closer ties with countries like Nigeria, highlighting this partnership as a practical example of South-South collaboration in action.

Minister Duggins explained that such cooperation enables shared learning in climate-smart agriculture, the creation of cross-continental value chains, and the development of deeper trade and innovation networks.

As the week progresses with high-level meetings, exhibitions, and technical sessions, Minister Duggins urged participants to go beyond dialogue and focus on tangible outcomes. He emphasised that the true success of the event would be measured not by official statements, but by real, on-the-ground actions that impact agriculture, fisheries, and the daily lives of Caribbean people.

The 19th Caribbean Week of Agriculture runs from September 29 to October 4, 2025, bringing together regional and international stakeholders to advance discussions on food security, climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, and integration across the Caribbean and the broader Global South.

-30-