BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE the Hon. Eugene Hamilton got somewhat of a hands-on sense of what farmers’ successes and difficulties are when he visited eight farming areas on Thursday (Oct. 9).
The exercise began in Phillip’s mountain and moved to various parts of the island including Tabernacle, Old Road and St. Peter’s.
Senior Agriculture Officer Ian Chapman – while speaking with SKNVibes – indicated that ever so often such an exercise is undertaken so that the Minister could get “a firsthand look at what is going on in the sector”.
He said while there, the Minister was able to meet and speak with the owners and or managers of five crop farms and four livestock farms.
“He met with all the farm owners and managers. He spoke with them, heard their concerns, complaints and shared recommendations on how the Ministry would try and address their concerns in a timely manner.”
Minister Hamilton, in providing comment to SKNVibes concerning the visit, explained that one of the highlights of the exercise was seeing the success of an artificial insemination project which began in an effort to produce a higher quality pool of livestock.
He explained that over the years, inbreeding has led to a depletion of the quality of animals being produced; they are smaller and take longer to mature.
Another of the highlights was seeing how a farmer in the Newton Ground area has successfully used solar energy to power his farm.
He also noted that the level of organization on some of the farms, as it relates to record-keeping, is encouraging and would assist the Agriculture Department in determining costs of production and the level of pesticides introduced into the soil, etc.
Minister Hamilton said he was happy to have been briefed on the advancement that has taken place on the farms of the island.
