{"id":123225,"date":"2021-01-29T07:31:52","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T11:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=123225"},"modified":"2021-01-29T07:31:52","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T11:31:52","slug":"agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cAgriculture stands as a bright light in the darkness\u201d- PM Browne"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"antig-3285531148\" class=\"antig-ecab antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-1265465290\" class=\"antig-before-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/medicalbenefitsscheme\" aria-label=\"ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\"   \/><\/a><\/div><p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the 2021 Budget Statement Presentation, Prime Minister, The Hon. Gaston Browne commended the growth and development of the agricultural sector during 2020.<\/p><div id=\"antig-839897149\" class=\"antig-content_5 antig-entity-placement\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:771\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/quueens.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:771\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/quueens.jpeg 1143w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:214\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/quueens.jpeg 214w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:732\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/quueens.jpeg 732w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:1075\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/quueens.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:771\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/quueens.jpeg 1097w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1143\" height=\"1600\"   \/><\/div>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cA bright light in the nation\u2019s economic activity \u2013 and one that illumes possibilities for the future \u2013 is agriculture,\u201d PM Browne stated.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Prime Minister explained that although affected by the impact of COVID-19, the agriculture, livestock, and forestry sector returned growth of 1.1 percent in 2020, as compared to 0.5 percent in 2019.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such improvement in the performance of the agricultural sector is primarily due to the quick and effective implementation of the Government\u2019s policies at the height of the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The country\u2019s leader noted some of the policies and programs implemented to help bolster agriculture during that time. These included granting farmlands to 50 new farmers, distribution of seedlings throughout the sector, promotion of backyard farming, improvement in infrastructure, and increasing the availability and access to water on farms.<\/p><div id=\"antig-232027593\" class=\"antig-content_4 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-3891310738\" class=\"antig-content_12 antig-entity-placement\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1320\/h:730\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_5614.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1320\/h:730\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_5614.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:166\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_5614.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:566\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_5614.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:425\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_5614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:696\/h:385\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_5614.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1320\" height=\"730\"   \/><\/div>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This strongly suggests, PM Browne said, \u201cthat there is potential for increased agricultural production in the future that would create jobs and income, as well as, foreign exchange savings and provide our nation with a measure of food security and food sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the growth achieved in this sector, the Prime Minister advised that such lessons learned from this crisis should not go to waste.<\/p><div id=\"antig-1997603666\" class=\"antig-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.antiguabarbudaculinarymonth.com\/\" aria-label=\"culinary\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:843\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:843\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:132\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:450\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:337\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:675\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:842\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1124\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWith this in mind, we are finalising financing arrangements for the development of a US$20 million Agro-Industrial Park in Antigua and Barbuda. The Project will be comprised of several components including a broiler farm, slaughterhouse, feed production, and feed mill, vegetable farm, and training centre.\u201d The Prime Minister announced.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\n<div id=\"antig-2382369759\" class=\"antig-in-comments_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/@hadeedmotorsltd\" aria-label=\"Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 1000w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:75\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:192\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1000\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During the 2021 Budget Statement Presentation, Prime Minister, The Hon. Gaston Browne commended the growth and development of the agricultural sector during 2020. \u201cA bright light in the nation\u2019s economic activity \u2013 and one that illumes possibilities for the future \u2013 is agriculture,\u201d PM Browne stated. The Prime Minister explained that although affected by the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":123226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[118,119,117,116,107,88,102,94,96,91,90,99,92,114,115,98,108,106,104,109,95,105,110,112,113,111,101,103,97],"class_list":["post-123225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agriculture","tag-268-antigua","tag-268-antigua-barbuda","tag-268-antigua-today","tag-268-today","tag-advertise-in-antigua","tag-antigua","tag-antigua-barbuda","tag-antigua-and-barbuda","tag-antigua-breaking-news","tag-antigua-caribbean","tag-antigua-crime","tag-antigua-economy-news","tag-antigua-news","tag-antigua-news-rooom","tag-antigua-observer","tag-antigua-politics","tag-antiguan-news","tag-barbuda","tag-barbuda-news","tag-barbudan-news","tag-breaking-news-antigua","tag-news","tag-news-antigua","tag-news-antigua-barbuda","tag-news-antigua-and-barbuda","tag-news-barbuda","tag-news-in-antigua","tag-news-in-barbuda","tag-tourism-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u201cAgriculture stands as a bright light in the darkness\u201d- PM Browne - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cAgriculture stands as a bright light in the darkness\u201d- PM Browne\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"During the 2021 Budget Statement Presentation, Prime Minister, The Hon. Gaston Browne commended the growth and development of the agricultural sector during 2020. \u201cA bright light in the nation\u2019s economic activity \u2013 and one that illumes possibilities for the future \u2013 is agriculture,\u201d PM Browne stated. The Prime Minister explained that although affected by the [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-01-29T11:31:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93778224_2631244540536308_652223103526502400_o.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1944\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1458\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"\u201cAgriculture stands as a bright light in the darkness\u201d- PM Browne\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-29T11:31:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-01-29T11:31:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/\"},\"wordCount\":275,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93778224_2631244540536308_652223103526502400_o.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"268 Antigua\",\"268 Antigua &amp; Barbuda\",\"268 Antigua Today\",\"268 Today\",\"Advertise in Antigua\",\"Antigua\",\"Antigua &amp; Barbuda\",\"Antigua and Barbuda\",\"Antigua Breaking News\",\"Antigua Caribbean\",\"Antigua Crime\",\"Antigua Economy News\",\"Antigua News\",\"Antigua News Rooom\",\"Antigua Observer\",\"Antigua Politics\",\"Antiguan News\",\"Barbuda\",\"Barbuda News\",\"Barbudan News\",\"Breaking News Antigua\",\"News\",\"News Antigua\",\"News Antigua &amp; Barbuda\",\"News Antigua and Barbuda\",\"News Barbuda\",\"News in Antigua\",\"News in Barbuda\",\"Tourism News\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Agriculture\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/\",\"name\":\"\u201cAgriculture stands as a bright light in the darkness\u201d- PM Browne - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93778224_2631244540536308_652223103526502400_o.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-29T11:31:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-01-29T11:31:52+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93778224_2631244540536308_652223103526502400_o.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93778224_2631244540536308_652223103526502400_o.jpg\",\"width\":1944,\"height\":1458,\"caption\":\"The Hon. Samantha N. Marshall, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Barbuda Affairs and team from the Ministry of Agriculture during the April 2020 free seedling distribution initiative.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u201cAgriculture stands as a bright light in the darkness\u201d- PM Browne\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u201cAgriculture stands as a bright light in the darkness\u201d- PM Browne - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u201cAgriculture stands as a bright light in the darkness\u201d- PM Browne","og_description":"During the 2021 Budget Statement Presentation, Prime Minister, The Hon. Gaston Browne commended the growth and development of the agricultural sector during 2020. \u201cA bright light in the nation\u2019s economic activity \u2013 and one that illumes possibilities for the future \u2013 is agriculture,\u201d PM Browne stated. The Prime Minister explained that although affected by the [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2021-01-29T11:31:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1944,"height":1458,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93778224_2631244540536308_652223103526502400_o.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"\u201cAgriculture stands as a bright light in the darkness\u201d- PM Browne","datePublished":"2021-01-29T11:31:52+00:00","dateModified":"2021-01-29T11:31:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/"},"wordCount":275,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93778224_2631244540536308_652223103526502400_o.jpg","keywords":["268 Antigua","268 Antigua &amp; Barbuda","268 Antigua Today","268 Today","Advertise in Antigua","Antigua","Antigua &amp; Barbuda","Antigua and Barbuda","Antigua Breaking News","Antigua Caribbean","Antigua Crime","Antigua Economy News","Antigua News","Antigua News Rooom","Antigua Observer","Antigua Politics","Antiguan News","Barbuda","Barbuda News","Barbudan News","Breaking News Antigua","News","News Antigua","News Antigua &amp; Barbuda","News Antigua and Barbuda","News Barbuda","News in Antigua","News in Barbuda","Tourism News"],"articleSection":["Agriculture"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/","name":"\u201cAgriculture stands as a bright light in the darkness\u201d- PM Browne - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93778224_2631244540536308_652223103526502400_o.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-29T11:31:52+00:00","dateModified":"2021-01-29T11:31:52+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93778224_2631244540536308_652223103526502400_o.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1440\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93778224_2631244540536308_652223103526502400_o.jpg","width":1944,"height":1458,"caption":"The Hon. Samantha N. Marshall, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Barbuda Affairs and team from the Ministry of Agriculture during the April 2020 free seedling distribution initiative."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/agriculture-stands-as-a-bright-light-in-the-darkness-pm-browne\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u201cAgriculture stands as a bright light in the darkness\u201d- PM Browne"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/123226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}