Nevis Agriculture

Nevis Receives Donation From Canadian Fund

Mr. Augustine Merchant

Mr. Augustine Merchant

Charlestown, Nevis
June 09, 2008

The Nevis Growers Cooperative was on Friday June 06, 2008, the recipient of a cheque in the amount of $58 139.33 from the Canadian Fund for Local Initiative (CFLI).

The donation was a joint effort between the CFLI and the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IAICA).

Minister of Agriculture in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Hon. Robelto Hector, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Mr. Pearlivan Wilkin, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) Representative Mr. Augustine Merchant, President of the Nevis Growers Cooperative Mrs. Muriel Emontine Thompson, farmers and staff of the Ministry of Agriculture attended the donation ceremony.

The Minister addressed the gathering and shared his delight with the generous contribution made by the donors.

“I am one who feels and as a government, we have ensured that directed finances [go] to [the agro processors to] ensure that the agro-processing unit is realised.  I am one who really feels that we are at that stage now when we can begin to explore our export potential,” Minister Hector said.

He also offered words of encouragement to the farmers to work towards the island’s food security.

“We must be organised, we must be growing from strength to strength, we must not be destructive.  We must make sure that at the end, we are supporting each other and we are moving towards the general good of ensuring food security, not only for the island of Nevis but the Caribbean as a whole and that would be our contribution towards the global issue,” he said.

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St. Kitts – Nevis Consuming More Local Food Items

St. Kitts - Nevis Fish Processing Plant

St. Kitts – Nevis Fish Processing Business
Photo By Erasmus Williams

Basseterre, Saint Kitts – Nevis
May 21, 2008 (CUOPM)

St. Kitts and Nevis says that the long-term solution to food security and increasing food prices in the twin-island federation as a result of global food price crisis, is not price control or even reduced consumption taxes.

“If we are to attain food security and to protect ourselves from escalating food prices in international markets, we must produce and consume more local agricultural products. In fact, I contend that if my Government had not already taken action to increase food production the impact on our Federation of the international food crisis would have been even more severe,” said St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Denzil L. Douglas.

He said that the global food price crisis that is a major source of worry for policy makers all over the world demonstrates quite clearly that the allocation of resources to the development of the agricultural sector must continue.

“Indeed the Millennium Development Goals established by the International Community for the substantial reduction of poverty in developing countries by 2015 are being placed in jeopardy by the dramatic increases in food prices in recent years,” said Prime Minister Douglas.

He said that the global statistics in respect of food prices are frightening and recalled several measures taken by his Labour Administration to deal with the crisis.

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Nevis Agro-Processors Receive CIDA Grant

Mr. Augustine Merchant

Mr. Augustine Merchant Of The IICA

Charlestown, Nevis
May 16, 2008

The Nevis Agro Processors Cooperatives Society received of a grant of over EC$50,000 from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
 
Making the presentation on behalf of CIDA on Wednesday May 14, 2008 at the Department of Agriculture’s conference room at Prospect, Mr. Augustine Merchant who is also the St. Kitts and Nevis representative for the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), said the agro processors would now be further on the road to success and the Canadian government should be highly commended for this effort.
 
“Over the past couple months, the Agro-Processors along with myself made approaches to CIDA. A proposal was drawn up requesting assistance in getting some equipment to help to furnish the facility which has been built.
 
“In this regard CIDA have seen some of the work that the agro processors have done and have been very impressed by the work they have been doing. They were very gracious in giving the agro-processors a grant of EC $56,583.71 and I think this is very commendable, he said.
 
The IICA representative who secured the grant said the international funding agency’s association with the processors dated back to 2002, when it provided some technical assistance in the form of training to for members, which was evidenced he said, in a marked improvement in the quality of products  which the agro-processors have done.

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