BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AS many Caribbean islands continue to grapple with the high importation cost for food, the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has implemented its own strategy to secure food for its citizens.
Deputy Director of Agriculture and Crops Programme Leader, Alistair Edwards told SKNVibes that food security is one of the main areas that his Department has been focusing on. This, he noted, is one of the primary reasons why they have over the years implemented the Agriculture Development Strategy (ADS).
“One of those pillars is what we would call Operation Food Security and that programme tackles food security front on, and that definition would not mean that we would have food for all the people. What that means is that we would secure ourselves with having the means of getting that food.”
The current plan not only focuses on food security but it pays keen attention on food and nutrition security.
That plan will see Kittitians and Nevisians having some of the essential staples within their daily intake as the island begins to be self-sufficient.
“You can get enough carbohydrates for your body from one particular source and you must consider having a balanced died. There have been a number of things that we have been targeting to be more or less self-sufficient as a country. And, thus far, we have been doing a fairly good job given the conditions. For example, for something like sweet potatoes, pumpkins, eggs or even tomatoes, to an extent we are self-sufficient in those produces for six months of the year.”
Edwards added that the Ministry of Agriculture assists in making materials for farming and seeds at a discounted price. But when it comes to having the land available, that is a difficult area since it does not fall under the purview of the Agriculture Department.
“Even though land is not under our control, we make recommendations to the necessary ministry that has land. We have tractor services operating…in my mind, on a subsidised basis because it’s below cost to farmers.”
He noted that one of the challenges with which farmers are faced is what to plant and what not to plant. To this end, the Agriculture Department assists them in the area of guidance at strategic points of the year when it comes to that challenge.
The Deputy Director stated that when crops are damaged due to hurricane or extreme weather conditions, the international agencies assist farmers through the Agricultural Department by making substantial donations, whether they be financial or materials.
“For instance, the last heavy downpour that we experience in 2012, we assessed the damage and meet them 50 percent of what was damaged. Some of it was through land preparation, some were seeds while livestock farmers got feed. A lot of times they get assistance through the international agencies who reach out to St Kitts.”
Edwards said that one of the hardest challenges faced by St. Kitts’ agriculture sector and famers alike is finding overseas market for locally produced products.
SKNVibes understands that most locally reaped produce rarely finds itself onto the shelves of neighbouring islands.
“One of our greatest challenges is penetrating overseas market! The local market, yes, but the overseas…”
It was said that the topic of inter-island trading in commodities has been a sticky point at the CARICOM level, whereby governments have not been able to come up with an agreement.
Edwards noted that at a past Heads of Government Conference, Guyana’s former President Bharrat Jadgeo addressed 10 main constraints to agriculture in the region, but to date the problems are still present.
“People will tell you that it easier to get a container load of goods from Miami than getting or send something to Antigua or vice ve tradersa,” Edwards briefly said in his explanation to inter-regional.
He however explained that one way of assisting farmers to find a market locally is by having a database of all farmers, which is then forwarded to the service sector as to what is available.
