Agri-Expo – Nevis Agriculture Open Day
The Nevis Department of Agriculture is set to host its annual Agriculture Open Day from March 30 to 31 at the Elquemedo T. Willett Park. However, the event is now being rebranded as Agri-Expo 2023, as announced by Mr. Randy Elliott, Director of the Department of Agriculture. The reason for the rebranding is to incorporate every sector within Nevisian society that has a role to play in agriculture. By transforming the event to Agri-Expo, the department believes that under this name, it would be able to include everyone.
The two-day exposition will have the theme “Together For food Sovereignty: Agri-Expo 2023,” and it will begin with the official Opening Ceremony on Thursday, March 30. The Agriculture Open Day, now in its 27th year, was originally designed to showcase to the Nevis population and St. Kitts as a whole, the strides that the Department of Agriculture has made over the years. However, with agriculture growing and expanding, the department has decided to incorporate more entities that are associated with agriculture. This is to ensure that everyone that has a role to play in agriculture can be included in the event.
Mr. Steve Reid, Chairman of the Agri-Expo Committee and Chief Extension Officer in the department, also spoke about the rebranding of the event. He explained that the department would be reaching out to local allied agencies associated with agriculture to showcase a wider range of products. This would also help to show especially to the youngsters in school that agriculture has so many different avenues that they can choose a career path rather than primarily focusing on production whether it is crop, livestock, or fish.
The Agriculture Open Day was initially created to provide farmers and fisher-folk on Nevis with an opportunity to showcase their skills and to raise awareness on the importance of agriculture. The event has grown over the years and continues to attract patrons from throughout the federation and other parts of the Caribbean. The Agriculture Open Day features various aspects of agriculture, including food-preparation demonstrations, best agricultural practices, crop-farming techniques, livestock, agro-processing, ornamentals (#ad), the Abattoir, veterinary services, fisheries, and cooperatives.