Agriculture Minister returns from Regional Summit
Food security high on agenda
By Melissa Bryant
ReporterSKNVibes.com
 |
|
Hon. Cedric Liburd
|
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE the Hon. Cedric Liburd recently returned from a regional conference in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, held in acknowledgement of the annual Caribbean Week of Agriculture.
Ministers of Agriculture and their technical staff from across the region met to discuss the agriculture industry and ways in which the industry can be developed and sustained.
Delegates consulted with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute’s (CARDI) Board of Governors to discuss its current operations and the future of the regional institution, and met with the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CFRM) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
They also endorsed a report received from the OECS Secretariat containing a proposal for agro- processing.
“We believe that as we drive agriculture, there is the primary product, yes, but we want to see some value added. This initiative will help farmers in the Federation and in the region overall,” Minister Liburd said.
The delegates identified nine constraints to the development of agriculture, which included marketing, transportation and finance.
Food security was also a prominent discussion topic with Liburd stating that “it was discussed at every meeting, because we need to consider how we are ensuring that there is the provision of sufficient food for our people”. ~~Adz:Right~~
According to the Agriculture Minister, he was “proud that [they] were able to bring together all of these alliances in one place so that [they] were able to discuss agriculture in the context of the alliances and the various institutions in how they help to ensure that agriculture is constantly on the front burner”.
“We, as a region, need to focus on improving, sustaining and expanding our agricultural product, because it will not only reduce our large importation bills, but will also make our people healthier and wealthier,” added Minister Liburd.
