BUDGET EXCERPT
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has long understood the developmental potential of the agricultural sector, and the transformative power of farming and fishing in the lives of Vincentians.
As the largest exporter of food and live animals in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union, our farmers and fisherfolk continue to be leaders in the production of the healthy and high-quality agricultural produce consumed throughout our region.
In 2019, we recommit to the farmers and fisherfolk as the indispensible cornerstone of our productive economy. As other countries in our region have drifted away from agriculture as an employer of citizens, as a generator of wealth and as an engine of development, we choose instead to deepen our emphasis on agriculture in Vincentian life and economy.
Over time, the crops may change, the manner of production will differ, and the export markets shall evolve; but the centrality of our farmers and fisherfolk in the life and economy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will be a constant guiding light.
More than any other occupation in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, farming has freed many citizens to live lives that their parents and grandparents could only imagine. Its modernising and developmental potential remains as potent today as it was in yesteryear.
As such, even as our economic transformation includes an embrace of new sectors and services, we are not abandoning agriculture. We are not trading one source of development for the other. We are building, not swapping, the bases upon which our economy can grow and our country can develop.
It is axiomatic that to make agriculture sustainable, the farmer has to be able to make a profit. This year, emphasis in agriculture and fisheries must necessarily be placed not merely on higher production, but higher incomes and improved standards of living for farmers and fisherfolk. Our focus must be on generating revenue that far exceeds the cost of production.
As the era of subsidised agricultural production and guaranteed markets fades into memory, Vincentian agriculture must become at once more modern, more competitive and more opportunistic to leverage our unquestionable gifts as farmers and fishers, and the indisputable blessings that our landscape and seascape provide.
Accordingly, in addition to the Minister of Agriculture’s ongoing stellar leadership in improving production and securing markets for our bananas, plantain, root crops, cocoa, spices, and other fruit and vegetables, we will be placing special emphasis on subsectors that show particular potential for growth and revenue.
Last year, we exported almost 60% more livestock to Grenada than we did in the previous year. Last year, the volume and value of our fish landings increased by 45% and 56%,16 respectively.
Cocoa is now grown on over 480 acres of land, and the industry employs over 250 Vincentians directly. In 2018, cocoa production increased by 24%. These areas of growth are testament to the continuing diversification and evolution of the Vincentian agricultural sector.
