- 1000 FARMERS RECEIVED FARMING SUPPLIES UNDER UBEC-CERC FOOD INSECURITY PROJECT
A total of 1,333 farmers from across mainland Saint Vincent received essential farming supplies during distribution ceremonies from 12 to 20 August 2024, as the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines commenced the distribution phase of the Component 3.0 UBEC CERC, “Food Insecurity Project”, funded by the World Bank.
Details of the number of farmers who received supplies by distribution centre are as follows:
Richland Park (12.08.24) – 328
Colonaire (15.08.24) – 422
Penniston (16.08.24) – 195
Cumberland (19.08.24) – 327 – Greenhill (20.08.24) – 4
Sandy Bay (20.08.24) – 57
The distributed items included: knapsack sprayers, hoes, forks, shovels, rakes, files and cutlasses among other necessary farming tools.
The ceremonies featured speeches by The Honourable Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour; The Honourable St. Clair Prince, Minister of Health and the Environment and MP for Marriaqua; Carlos James, MP for North Leeward, and Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Sustainable Development and Culture; and The Honourable Montgomery Daniel, Deputy Prime Minister, MP for North Windward and Minister of Transport, Works, Land and Surveys, and Physical Planning.
Other speakers included; Chief Agricultural Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Rural transformation, Industry and Labour – Renato Gumbs, Deputy Chief Agricultural Officer and Technical Focal Point – Colville King and Interim Project Manager – Roxanne John, Economic Planning Division.
The UBEC CERC “SVG Food Insecurity Project” is funded at US$10 million through the regional programme Unleashing the Blue Economy of the Caribbean (UBEC), under its Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC).
The project aims to mitigate the negative impacts on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ agricultural and fisheries sectors caused by the April 2021 volcanic eruptions, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, climate change, tropical storms, and droughts.
The SVG Food Insecurity Project is being implemented by the Economic Planning Division (Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Information Technology) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour.
