Demand for agricultural produce is likely to rise on the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines as many hotels prepare to launch and become fully operational.
Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture, stated that a well-planned approach is required to ensure that growing demand does not result in an increase in imports, assuring that this will not happen under his watch.
According to Caesar, with the increase in tourism, if authorities do not have a carefully planned and executed strategy, the island’s imports might expand significantly to meet the growing local need.
“This will not happen under my watch,” Caesar stated. “As a result, we must increase production in greenhouses and shade houses, and we will receive World Bank assistance to actually establish some of these structures.”
Caesar stated that in recent years, St. Vincent and the Grenadines has become one of the most diverse countries in the OECS in terms of the variety of vegetables grown here.
The country’s food import bill is currently around 200 million Euros.
As part of a joint CARICOM project, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has pledged to decreasing its food import expense by 25% by 2025.
According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), Jamaica spends more than US$1 billion on food imports, while the Bahamas spends US$1.5 billion, Trinidad and Tobago spends US$1 billion, Barbados spends US$450 million, Guyana spends US$450 million, Haiti spends US$1.5 billion, and Cuba spends US$2.5 billion.
The Caribbean has abundance of arable land and is well-known for many of its crops, but it is still mostly unable to feed itself adequately.
