Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 21, 2021 (SKNIS): Ron Dublin-Collins, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, said that the time has come for the agriculture sector in St. Kitts and Nevis to be enhanced and transformed into a more competitive and efficient industry.
“For us, this is a time of enhancement, a dispensation of transformation and an era of reform. We have embarked on a policy response that will comprise of increasing local production while concurrently reducing the importation of crop and livestock products,” said Mr. Dublin-Collins on the April 20 edition of Leadership Matters. “The COVID-19 crisis for us has stimulated a high degree of urgency and greatly fueled our focus to the need to enhance and transform our food agricultural system so as to achieve a greater degree of food self-reliance and reduce the food import bill…”
PS Dublin-Collins said that technology in farming can play a great role in adding value to the sector, as well as improving the Federation’s food security.
“Our vision speaks to the fact and to the view that our agriculture sector can be technologically driven, competitive, and market-oriented, and can contribute meaningfully to national development,” said the permanent secretary. “In light of our many realities, we have embraced a new vision for the agricultural sector and this vision sets out to enhance the agricultural sector so as to increase the production of food and to improve food security.”
Mr. Dublin-Collins noted that the ministry continues to work closely with stakeholders to generate growth within the industry.
“Over the last nine months, we have partnered with our stakeholders and we have strengthened our efforts to ensure that we stimulate greater economic growth in the agricultural sector through the development of a well-coordinated planning, and the implementation framework that is interactive and effective and involves the full participation of all stakeholders,” he said.
-30-
