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By Eulana Weekes
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources of St. Kitts and Nevis welcomed on Thursday, July 4, 2024, the Honourable Grisha Heilig-Martin, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications of St. Maarten, and his delegation to St. Kitts and Nevis.
Upon arrival, the St. Maarten delegation visited the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Samal Duggins. The two ministers engaged in a dialogue on the 25×25 Agenda. Minister Grisha Heilig-Marten briefed the media on the impact of the Agenda in St. Maarten.
“I chose St. Kitts because they were on this mission (25×25). So what they did was: they took I think over a million EC dollars and put it back into all the farmers and subsidized the farmers, so much so that they now have so much fruit and vegetables that it’s very sustainable for St. Kitts. A lot of the farms we visited were ready to trade with St. Maarten and it was cheap. Fishing, everything. I mean, they have so much.”
On July 5, Minister Heyliger-Marten and his delegation visited the Ministry of Agriculture and farms across the country, engaged in meaningful dialogues, and experienced the agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sectors.
“The next day, we visited the Ministry of Agriculture and they were busy doing everything. They planted the seeds, and when they got to a certain size, they would call the farmers and say, ‘Hey, we’re ready to sell these seedlings,’ and the farmers would buy them. When the farmers were done, they would go back to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry would package them and sell them. This is how the Kititian government helps farmers. I hope to do this for St. Maarten as well.”
Minister Maten is very interested in agro-tourism in Nevis, which she believes will bring good fortune to her territory.
“In Nevis, they’re doing agritourism, which means people are now building an aquaculture facility in their backyard, and they’ve built a bar where people can come and visit, see their backyard, and offer them fresh juice, and that’s tourism. Imagine what we can do in St. Maarten with tourism and agriculture.”
The St. Maarten delegation visited St. Kitts and Nevis in the hope of gathering knowledge and ideas in the quest to establish a full-fledged Ministry of Agriculture on St. Maarten. Minister Maarten also said the visit was intended to promote cooperation between St. Maarten and St. Kitts, with a particular emphasis on agricultural trade and knowledge sharing.
The Minister highlighted the Government’s efforts to achieve food security and sustainable development on St. Maarten as one of the main takeaways from the visit to St. Kitts and Nevis.
“The main takeaway from our visit is that agriculture can and should play a major role in national development and self-reliance and that the government has a clear role and responsibility to promote this. It is one thing to say and believe this, but to witness and experience first-hand what a large country like St. Kitts has achieved in the agricultural sector is very instructive, awe-inspiring and inspiring. Based on the information gathered and insights gained during our visit, our policy advisors, together with my Cabinet, will develop specific action points for implementation in the short term, taking into account current agricultural policies.”
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