“We’re playing football, and we’re making nice dribbles and nice passes, but we’re not scoring as many goals as we could.” That was the candid assessment from the Permanent Secretary (Acting) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Transformation, Mr. Colville King, as he addressed the opening of an Agro-processing Stakeholders Forum on Wednesday, 24th June.
The Forum, hosted by the Centre for Enterprise Development Inc. (CED), brought together financial institutions, policy makers, support agencies, and government bodies to bridge the gap between agro-processors and key stakeholders—creating a space for open communication and collaboration.
In his address, King underscored the sector’s economic significance, noting that agro-processing is central to the government’s growth strategy for the country. “The agricultural sector is one of four vital pillars identified by this current administration to drive economic growth. Perhaps I dare say it is the most important,” he stated.
He also highlighted the sector’s role in tackling the country’s food import bill, which exceeds EC$200 million annually — much of it in processed goods. “That represents jobs, income for all persons who wish to partake, but importantly for those in rural communities,” King said. “Processors are contributing to economic development by way of jobs, foreign exchange earnings, foreign exchange savings, and incomes in rural communities.”
A key theme of King’s address was the need to scale up and move beyond individual efforts.
“If I ask around the table how many of you have a million-dollar business in mind, or a five-million-dollar business in mind, I don’t think I would see a lot of hands up. A lot of people are thinking too small,” he observed. “When you grow big, because of your volumes, you can afford to reduce the unit price and make it on volumes.” He pointed to the success of the Banana Association as a model for cooperation, stating: “Our individualism isn’t working for us all the time. There are times that we need to cooperate in order to access markets. The size of markets that we want to access cannot be achieved simply by individuals.”
King also put forward four key areas for consideration: a certified multi-use facility to meet food safety standards; strengthening business clusters; structured partnerships between processors and farmers; and a focus on succession planning by bringing more youth into the industry. “Youth bring creativity, energy, and innovation. That helps with your sustainability,” he concluded.
Echoing the sentiment of collaboration was CED’s Training and Education Coordinator Miss Keisha Phillips, who spoke on behalf of CED General Manager Mrs. Ronette Lewis. She emphasized the forum’s purpose as a platform for shared learning and collective action. “The agro-processing sector plays a vital role in adding value to our agricultural products, creating employment opportunities, strengthening food security, and expanding market access for local producers.”
Phillips highlighted the importance of building on the knowledge, experiences, and perspectives of those directly involved to work towards a more resilient and competitive sector. “We encourage open dialogue, constructive engagement, and the sharing of innovative ideas as we collectively identify opportunities, address challenges, and chart a clear path forward for the sector,” she added.
The Forum forms part of CED’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the agro-processing sector and build a more coordinated, competitive, and export-ready industry. An array of local agro-processed products was also featured. It was the second held in a series to examine the current scenario of the agro-processing industry in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, identify key opportunities in the sector for economic growth and rural development, analyze major challenges impeding the growth of the industry, and to suggest policy recommendations for sustainable development.