Antigua and Barbuda has secured lucrative contracts to export agricultural products into the United States and China, two of the largest markets in the world.
Agriculture Minister E.P Chet Greene who addressed the House of Representatives in his presentation to the national Budget 2023, said the country has secured the rights to export mangoes and avocadoes into the U.S through the efforts of a farmer, Michael Francis.
“This did not happen under any previous administration, but we are now in a position to make that announcement. We can also announce that we have secured the rights to export lobsters into China. Currently, the regulations are now being tweaked to allow us to export a wide range of fisheries products to the European Union countries as well,” he told the nation.
Greene said, there is still much preparatory work to be done to make access to the EU market a reality, but he has advised his senior staff that it is a matter of priority that must occupy their attention.
The minister expressed the view that the agricultural sector ‘is ripe’ with opportunities and he is asking the farming community and others to grasp the prospects that come before them. On the issue of food security, Greene outlined that the government’s goals for the sector are multi-layered and fall in line with the global standard for agriculture, which calls for the attainment of sustainable agricultural development, simultaneously with the delivery of food security, environmental sustainability, and economic opportunity.
“We identify with this global standard, and we will not only increase food production by twenty percent, but given where we are in the sectoral development, we are committed through the investments we make as a government through bonding with our farmers, and would-be farmers and the good of our nation. We will seek to go beyond, to increase production not by twenty percent, but by twenty-five percent,” he declared. He also said the aim is to reduce food imports by a matching figure of twenty-five percent and to reduce poverty by a similar percentage. He noted that this is possible based on the levels of production now taking place in the country and the opportunities available in the sector. – POINTE XPRESS
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Cock will first grow teeth.
It will be the Chinese, living in Antigua, catching and sending lobsters to China.
Go to the head a class
when I stop running over mangoes in fig tree drive I’ll believe
when they start using our lands to build production facilities for exports I’ll believe.
so Antigua imports a large amount of produce and we pay a lot extra in a grocery bill because of that. Anybody see a possible sane solution here?
all the best
too bad serpant cannot contribute to this. The poor farm was neglected by him and it cried out to the heavens. Then a bird came a dropped one papaya seed 😀
To export you have to be a consistent supplier. To be a consistent supplier you have to have consistent water and inputs. To be an exporter you have to have proper post harvesting techniques, proper storage and meet certain international standards like GAP certification.
We need to be able to plan our production and meet local demands. We need to cut back on the big food import bill. We need to look at linkages between the tourism sector and agriculture sector. Imagine if we can supply the cruise ship with certain selected products.
This is the route we should be taking, instead of the grand talk of exporting.
Just another talk to appear relevant. What, pray tell, does Chet Green know about agriculture? Word is, this man has never done an honest days work in his life. Now he is required to actually do something. Well, dont hold your breath. No plan, structure, or projections, just run your mouth to appear knowledgeable.
To you @Pringle needs to…., Mr. Watts is a farmer, with 12 years experience, what can you offer for Chet ?
Chet Greene, MP…
1…are the Japanese still trawling our Nation’s open seas to our East and North East with their Mega Trawlers, harvesting, packaging, marketing, selling and profiting from our abundance of resources in the ocean/seas in these regions?
2…have the Chinese being granted any licenses to operate fish farms like they’re setting up farms on the mainland?
3…Until, the incentives, tax breaks, etc are on par with those of the Tourism/Hotel Industries then the Agriculture Industry will continue to sputter, run out of fuel and stall out.
Ras Smood aka Jumbee_Picknee
De ‘ole Dutty Peg_Foot Bastard
V.C. Edwards
We, ws wr!
Who are the “we”?
Government, Chinese or local farmers?
Agent lobsters being exported already?
Why would China buy our vegetables when they
.produce the same, but bigger and better?
This sounds like pretty talk and plenty fooling
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