- St Vincent Aims to End White Potato Imports with Domestic Production
Cultivation of ‘White Potatoes’ in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is anticipated to commence in February, 2024.
The revelation was conveyed by Minister of Agriculture Saboto Caesar during his participation in the 2024 Budget Debate on Tuesday.
“I’m advised by the Chief Agriculture Officer that there’s a container load of English potato seeds, 400 sacks, on the way to the island, so that we can establish white (Irish) potato production here in SVG.“
Caesar stated that the cultivation of white potatoes is in response to the fact that the island presently imports white potatoes worth $5 million annually.
Caesar stated that the cultivation of White Potatoes is not a recent development in the Caribbean Region.
“Dominica and Jamaica are currently cultivating it on a large scale, and we plan to establish English potato production in our country by 2024.”
The Jamaican government announced in October 2023 their intention to allocate $150 million towards enhancing Irish potato cultivation in the northern Caribbean island.
