CHARLESTOWN, Nevis - PREMIER of Nevis the Hon. Joseph Parry said yesterday (Mar. 26) that he has been greatly impressed by the performance of the Nevis agricultural sector.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 15th Annual Agricultural Open Day held at the Villa grounds, Charlestown, the Premier said there has been “success after success” in the sector including a 26 percent increase in the production of fruits and vegetables. He praised the Agriculture Ministry and said production in the sector would be stepped up even further after the introduction of geothermal energy.
According to Parry, Taiwan as well as Japan would strengthen their relationship with Nevis to improve the agriculture sector. He said he was optimistic that in the near future Nevisians would be able to feed themselves.
The Premier called on Nevisians to appreciate locally produced food as it was healthier than the imported food. He also said the economic downturn should be viewed as an opportunity to encourage locals to have a keen interest in agriculture.
Also speaking at the opening ceremony was Director of Agriculture Keithly Amory, who reported that farmers were able to meet the local demand for tomatoes for six months and cabbage and sweet peppers for one month.
“Presently, we are self sufficient with tomatoes and eggplant, and were able to meet local demand for pumpkin and ochro in January.”
Amory said the return to cotton earned some farmers as much as $10 000 and the sale of the 2007/2008 crop grossed US94 100.
“And as you patronise the farmers’ booth, you will realise that we have an abundance of onions, carrots, sweet peppers and much more professionally packaged for your convenience.”
He however told farmers to step up their production in order to save the island’s foreign exchange. Based on figures compiled at the Department, a total of 1.8 million pounds of fruits and vegetables was imported during 2008 while an estimated 658 000 pounds of vegetables were produced. Amory said the figure represents 37.2 percent of imports.
According to figures obtained from the Supply Office, 218 050 pounds of meat products were imported at a cost of $2,227,941. The total carcass weight from the abattoir was 281 771 pounds. This figure, he said, represents 22.6 percent over imports.
He said farmers had been facilitated to sell their produce through the Marketing Unit. A total of $223 292 were paid to them.
“And this is despite the fact that they were hampered by monkeys and roaming animals. Therefore, there is money in farming.”
Amory said six new farmers had approached the Department of Agriculture and five acres of farming land were made available to them.
According to the Director, there was an 11 percent increase in the amount of animals slaughtered in 2008 over 2007, leading to a 10.5 percent increase in revenue. The abattoir reported that the amount of money circulated in the local economy on behalf of farmers was $105 000, an increase of 15.5 percent compared to 2007.
The Open Day is being held under the theme “Promoting Economic Stability Through Greater Agricultural and Marine Efficiency”. It started on Thursday morning and will end today, Friday. It is also being held under the patronage of former Director of Agriculture Samuel Powell.
