Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 17, 2017 (SKNIS): To commemorate World Food Day, which was celebrated on Monday, October 16, the Ministry of Agriculture is currently hosting a week of activities that will highlight the agricultural industry.
The main event, which is the World Food Day Prize Giving Ceremony, will be held on Thursday, October 19, to recognize the producers in the local agricultural industry.
The October 15 to 22 events are being hosted in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Activities include tree donations and a staff visit to the New Horizons Home on October 17, an Agriculture Stakeholders Town Hall Meeting on October 18, a Pork and Beer festival on October 20, and a Local Agriculture Exhibit in Sandy Point on October 21.
Minister of Agriculture et al, the Honourable Eugene Hamilton, in his World Food Day commemoration address, said, “As we join with 193 countries of the United Nations (UN) to celebrate World Food Day, we recognize that the theme, ‘Changing the Future of Migration: Invest in Food Security and Rural Development,’ addresses the structured movement of people in order to make migration safe, orderly and regular.”
The minister stated that the federation continues to build its alliances with the other members of the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to ensure a constant supply of food, which is increasingly more important in light of the recent natural disasters that have affected the Caribbean islands.
“We clearly see the impact natural disasters and climate change can have on our Small Island Developing States (SIDS),” he stated.
The minister further stated that his ministry continues to promote local sustainability with the establishment of outreach centres, as well as through critical investments in agriculture. “We have invested in greenhouses in the rural areas, which have changed the landscape and production systems of our farmers,” he added.
In keeping with the theme, the minister noted the importance of ensuring food security in the federation. He stated that the nation has a responsibility to ensure food security and that each citizen can play a part by utilizing and growing local produce.
“I trust the occasion of World Food Day strengthens us to do our individual and collective parts to ensure that much more local produce become available and there will be no need to migrate in search of food,” stated Minister Hamilton.
The Ministry of Agriculture encourages the general public to support the week of activities and its mission to buy and eat local.
