BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE St. Kitts Agriculture Department is boasting an increase in its overall crop production for 2013, along with major output increases for several meat produce.
This pronouncement was made by the Director of Agriculture, Thomas Jackson, who was at the time speaking at the opening of the Department’s annual Agriculture Open Day held last Thursday (Apr. 24) at La Guerite.
“We can boast of the following achievements in the agriculture sector; increase in food crop production 15 percent, increase in mutton production by 32 percent and goat production by 32 percent,” Jackson said.
He declared that this was among several key achievements the Department attained for the year 2013, which also include the upgrading of the Basseterre Abattoir and the establishment of shades houses.
“Opening of Afro Pack House on the grounds of the Department of Agriculture, establishment of shade houses and dams, renovation of the Basseterre Public Market, and upgrading of the Basseterre Abattoir...these are some of the achievements for the past year.”
The Director did not give an insight into what were some of the strategies implemented to see major increases against those of 2012, which saw a meager four percent crop increase.
He however noted that the Department currently has its eyes transfixed on four developmental strategies for the sector, which come under the St. Kitts 2000-2016 Agriculture Development Strategy.
“As a result of the St. Kitts 2000-2016 Agriculture Development Strategy, the Department of Agriculture has realigned its services and support around four programmes, which are Operation Food Security, Farming and Agriculture System Transformation, Agriculture Waste Management and Climate, Agro-business and Market Development. Within this context we have arranged our agriculture exhibits to display the four-core programmes.”
The Department continues to preach its message of “eat local, support local” which is its motto of eating all things local.
Over the years the Agriculture Department has continued its drive to push more locally produced goods on the market in order to lower its food importation bill.
