NIA committed to ensuring self-sufficiency in food production...says Premier Parry
By Pauline Warurugu
Nevis Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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| Premier of Nevis Joseph Parry and this year’s patron George Sutton |
CHARLESTOWN, Nevis - THE Nevis Island Administration (NIA) is fully committed to ensuring agriculture is revived, as this is a sustainable way of reducing the cost of living.
Nevis’ Premier the Hon. Joseph Parry made this pronouncement yesterday when he officially opened the 14th Annual Agricultural Open Day at the Villa.
One major activity the Premier highlighted that all persons could be involved in to supplement government’s efforts in ensuring self-sufficiency in food production, was a commitment to establish kitchen gardens (backyard gardening).
He said Nevis was self-sufficient in the production of pumpkins and cabbages and this should motivate Nevisians to grow other crops that would enable the island to stop importing foods that can be grown locally.
The Premier said the recent reports on the production of cotton were encouraging and reminded Nevisians that the island was known in the past to produce the best cotton in the world. He said the samples of cotton exhibited indicated that Nevis could once again produce the best cotton. Parry informed that Japan buys cotton at a cost of US$20 per pound.
“All of us here have a job to encourage people to go back to farming,” the Premier said and added that all the necessary steps must be taken to ensure “our people eat, and eat well”. ~~Adz:Right~~
Parry was optimistic that the production of the envisaged geothermal energy would go a long way in supporting the agricultural sector. He said the residue produced through the process of generating geothermal energy was excellent for aquaculture, “A revolution is expected in the field of agriculture.”
The Premier said the Agro Processing plant had been completed. He also announced that IICA had solicited C$23 000 to purchase equipment for the plant. He added that the Taiwanese government had pledged to purchase additional equipment to strengthen the agriculture sector.
Parry said a training centre would be established to motivate the island’s youth to be interested in agriculture. He commended the Department of Agriculture and this year’s awardees and noted that the NIA would support all efforts being made to revive agriculture.
Premier Parry said this year’s patron, George Sutton, had made a major contribution to agriculture on the island.
