Some of Antigua and Barbuda’s agricultural produce.
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua--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 US 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 20%, 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 20%, but by 25%,” he declared. He also said the aim is to reduce food imports by a matching figure of 25% 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. ~ Antigua News Room ~
