SVG Agriculture Minister will meet with farmers to discuss prices.
The Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Saboto Caesar, pledged on August 12th, 2024, at a consultation at the Richland Park Government School, to mobilize St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ farmers and traffickers nationwide to address the issue of food export pricing.
“For many years, farmers have faced uneven and unfair pricing, largely determined by the whims and fancies of a handful of middlemen”.
The Minister of Agriculture declared, “This is abusive, and we must fully mobilize to end this exploitation once and for all.” The meetings will begin this week within farming communities. The traffickers and the agriculture cooperatives will be a part of phase two of the consultation.
Earlier this year, the Minister publicly stated that farmers should not sell their dasheen for less than $100 per 100-pound sack. Farmers have experienced greater stability for the price of food over the past six months. However, the Minister expressed his unease about the sustainability of this price stability in the absence of a formal structure.
“We must defend our farmers against anyone who wants to play the part of a colonial pirate. Not in 2024”. The minister emphasized that “while it won’t be easy due to the entrenched nature of these middlemen, with the help of the farmers, we can achieve the desired outcome”.
The publication of weekly prices ahead of buying produce for export after an assessment of regional market prices will also be discussed.
