BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AS the Caribbean officially launches the 19th Edition of Caribbean Agriculture Week, St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Agriculture, Samal Duggins, is urging a transformative shift in regional agricultural policy to secure the future of food in the region.
This year’s celebration is being held under the theme, “Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming Our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond.” Minister Duggins described the theme as “both timely and profound,” especially in light of the growing global pressures affecting the region.
"The Caribbean’s agricultural sector stands today at a defining crossroads. The impacts of climate change, global pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, and persistent supply chain disruptions have laid bare the vulnerabilities in our food systems," he said.
He highlighted a range of challenges currently confronting the region—from extreme weather events to logistical hurdles like high shipping costs and unreliable inter-island transport—which continue to hamper the movement of goods and increase the region’s reliance on imports.
"We face not only the physical threat of more intense hurricanes, droughts, and floods but also logistical challenges—from high shipping costs to unreliable inter-island transport—which hinders our ability to move goods efficiently across our own region,” Duggins stated.
The minister called for urgent, coordinated action to reform the sector. “We must craft deliberate policies, invest in climate-smart agriculture and innovative technologies, empower our youth and women, and commit ourselves anew to the cause of food and nutrition security and sovereignty," he said.
The Caribbean currently imports the bulk of its food, with the regional food import bill exceeding US$3 billion annually. That dependency, Duggins warned, weakens the region’s resilience, especially as global geopolitical shifts and supply chain bottlenecks drive up costs and threaten availability.
"If we act decisively—and together—what we shall harvest is not only resilience in our fields and seas, but economic stability, social equity, and a healthier future for our people,” he added.
St. Kitts and Nevis will serve as this year’s host for Caribbean Agriculture Week, providing a platform to strengthen regional collaboration and foster innovation. A series of activities is planned, including workshops, forums, youth dialogues, and business-to-business networking events.
The event will run from September 29 to October 3.
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