{"id":268401,"date":"2026-02-27T05:16:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T09:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=268401"},"modified":"2026-02-26T18:22:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T22:22:50","slug":"150-acres-of-idle-agricultural-land-set-return-to-active-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/150-acres-of-idle-agricultural-land-set-return-to-active-production\/","title":{"rendered":"150 Acres of Idle Agricultural Land Set Return to Active Production"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CABINET NOTES:<\/strong> Cabinet has reaffirmed its commitment to national food security and agricultural expansion following the successful implementation of its policy decision, taken several months ago, to repossess unused and non-performing agricultural lands.<\/p>

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Minister for Agriculture, Anthony Smith, reported to Cabinet that to date, the Ministry of Agriculture has repossessed approximately 150 acres of farmland that were previously underutilized or not in active production. This decisive action forms part of the Government\u2019s broader strategy to increase domestic food production, reduce import dependence, and place productive lands into the hands of committed and capable farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During this week\u2019s Cabinet meeting, the Minister for Agriculture presented recommendations for the immediate reallocation of a portion of the recovered lands. Cabinet agreed to commit 75 acres of the repossessed acreage specifically to youth and women farmers as part of a targeted empowerment and agricultural development initiative.<\/p>

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This allocation underscores the Government\u2019s recognition of the critical role that young people and women play in modernizing and sustaining the agricultural sector. By expanding access to arable land, Cabinet aims to create new opportunities for entrepreneurship, increase output, and stimulate rural economic activity.<\/p>

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The Ministry of Agriculture will issue rental agreements to the selected farmers, ensuring structured and accountable use of the lands. Performance assessments will be conducted, and once positive production benchmarks are met, longer-term lease arrangements will be granted. This approach ensures that land distribution remains merit-based, productivity-driven, and aligned with national agricultural priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cabinet emphasized that land is a strategic national asset and must be actively cultivated in the interest of food security, economic resilience, and national development.<\/p>

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The Government remains resolute in its efforts to strengthen local food systems, support performing farmers who require additional acreage, and create pathways for the next generation of agricultural leaders.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CABINET NOTES: Cabinet has reaffirmed its commitment to national food security and agricultural expansion following the successful implementation of its policy decision, taken several months ago, to repossess unused and non-performing agricultural lands. Minister for Agriculture, Anthony Smith, reported to Cabinet that to date, the Ministry of Agriculture has repossessed approximately 150 acres of farmland […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":258958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-268401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"yoast_head":"\n150 Acres of Idle Agricultural Land Set Return to Active Production - 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\/150-acres-of-idle-agricultural-land-set-return-to-active-production\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"150 Acres of Idle Agricultural Land Set Return to Active Production\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"CABINET NOTES: Cabinet has reaffirmed its commitment to national food security and agricultural expansion following the successful implementation of its policy decision, taken several months ago, to repossess unused and non-performing agricultural lands. Minister for Agriculture, Anthony Smith, reported to Cabinet that to date, the Ministry of Agriculture has repossessed approximately 150 acres of farmland […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/150-acres-of-idle-agricultural-land-set-return-to-active-production\/\" \/>\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=\"2026-02-27T09:16:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-26T22:22:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1600\/h:864\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/mps-tour-farms-e1763830252568.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"864\" \/>\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=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/150-acres-of-idle-agricultural-land-set-return-to-active-production\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/150-acres-of-idle-agricultural-land-set-return-to-active-production\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"150 Acres of Idle Agricultural Land Set Return to Active Production\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-27T09:16:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-26T22:22:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/150-acres-of-idle-agricultural-land-set-return-to-active-production\/\"},\"wordCount\":304,\"commentCount\":3,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/150-acres-of-idle-agricultural-land-set-return-to-active-production\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1600\/h:864\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/mps-tour-farms-e1763830252568.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Featured\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/150-acres-of-idle-agricultural-land-set-return-to-active-production\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/150-acres-of-idle-agricultural-land-set-return-to-active-production\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/150-acres-of-idle-agricultural-land-set-return-to-active-production\/\",\"name\":\"150 Acres of Idle Agricultural Land Set Return to Active Production - 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