Agriculture

Nevis Agriculture Is Rated Tops In Region

Charlestown, Nevis
April 24, 2008

Director of Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Mr. Kelvin Daly revealed that under the new Administration the Department had improved agriculture on Nevis, which has made the island the envy of other countries in the region.
 
Mr. Daly made the revelation at the Villa in Charlestown at the opening Ceremony for the 14th annual Agricultural Open Day on Thursday, April 24, 2008, under the Theme: “Micro Farming: The Driving Force for Agriculture Past, Present and Future,”
 
“Many islands in the region have called for advice from Nevis because they recognise what we are doing is significant. In the next two weeks we would be having a group from Anguilla who are concerned about returning to farming
 
“It’s amazing how much resource was put into other areas and agriculture was left on the doorstep but the times are changing and what we’re saying all along is proving to be true you can’t turn your back on agriculture. We in Nevis are positioned to leap forward ahead of the region despite criticisms that we are not doing enough in agriculture,” Director Daly said
 
Dr. Daly expounded on the importance of micro farming which he said was more than planting plants in the backyard. He said the Department had on display an extension of varied micro farming methods.

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St. Kitts – Nevis Suspends Consumption Tax

St. Kitts - Nevis Locally Grown Produce

St. Kitts – Nevis Locally Grown Produce
Photo By Erasmus Williams

Basseterre, Saint Kitts – Nevis
April 23, 2008 2008 (CUOPM)

The consumption tax on a selected list of food and non-food items approved by the Cabinet last month, will be removed with effect from the first of next month, Minister of State with responsibility for Information, Sen. the Hon. Nigel Carty disclosed on Tuesday.

Minister Carty also disclosed that price control officers have been employed to ensure that the price on these food and non-food items go down so that the consumers benefit.

“Cabinet mandated that effective May 1, 2008, the consumption tax be removed from the following list: Chicken, processed cheese, pasta, corned beef, sardines, tinned tuna, vienna sausage, margarine, ketchup, diapers (for babies and adults), and baby formula. The consumption tax on these items ranges from 15 percent to 22.5 percent,’ said Sen. Carty following Monday’s Cabinet Meeting.

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St. Kitts – Nevis Reducing Dependency On Food Imports

St. Kitts - Nevis Pineapple Farm

St. Kitts – Nevis Pineapple Farm
Photo By Erasmus Williams

Basseterre, Saint Kitts – Nevis
April 23, 2008 (CUOPM)

The Labour Government’s expanded land distribution to small farmers is testimony of the administration’s empowerment of the people and commitment to food security.

Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas said food security and reducing the nation’s high food import bill are priorities for his Labour Party administration.

Following the allocation of some 100 acres of land to farmers in Estridge, Mansion, Phillips’ and Old Road, 44 more farmers have received 80 additional acres of land in the Fahie’s Agricultural Belt, bringing to 224 acres of land made available for farming in what is called “the Bread Basket of St. Kitts.”

“This reflects my government’s commitment to empower the ordinary man and woman in St. Kitts and Nevis in the all important area of agriculture and food security,” said Dr. Douglas at his Press Conference on Tuesday.

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Nevis’ Agriculture Open Day 2008

Charlestown, Nevis
April 21, 2008

Final plans are progressing smoothly in readiness for Nevis‘ premier annual agricultural showcase on April 24th to 25th and officials of the Department of Agriculture, hosts of the annual event, said all preparatory works are on schedule.
 
During an interview with the Department of Information on Monday April 21, 2008, the Department’s Communication’s Officer Mr. Eric Evelyn described the 14th Agriculture Open Day at the Villa grounds in Charlestown, as an event to promote food security and a tool to promote farming at every level.  The Theme for the 2008 fair is “Micro-Farming: The Driving Force for Agriculture ““ Past, Present and Future”.
 
“The reason for this theme being, we are trying to promote agriculture at all levels. We have over the years done a lot to promote commercial farming but we are trying to promote farming from a micro level to a macro level, where you can have people doing farming in their backyard and even persons who do not have space can be doing farming in containers,” he said.
 
Mr. Evelyn explained that the theme was selected against the backdrop of rising food prices worldwide and agriculture officials wanted to buffer the effect on Nevis.

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Former St. Kitts – Nevis Sugar Lands Serving The Nation

Basseterre, Saint Kitts – Nevis
April 09, 2008 (CUOPM)

St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas says the former sugar lands are being used for the social development and empowerment of nationals.

Speaking at a ceremony to allocate 80 acres of land to 44 farmers, Dr. Douglas said land has been allocated for agriculture, construction of houses for local homeowners, churches, schools, community centres and new businesses thus providing for entrepreneurship and job opportunities in the development of the national economy.

“Social development means that we are providing the land for housing. You now have the opportunity to own your homes on your plot of land and not paying rent as you did to the planter of the old days. The house lots are now yours, distributed through the National Housing Corporation (NHC) or through the Special Land Initiative of the Ministry of Sustainable Development,” said Dr. Douglas.

He said the land is also being used in the social development and empowerment of the people by providing land for the building of churches.

“We have a lot of churches in St. Kitts and Nevis and some of them still do not have land,” said Prime Minister Douglas, who pointed out that his St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Government since taking office has been distributing land to several church denominations “so that our people can as a congregation continue to worship God and to give their praises to God.”

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