CARDI continues to play vital role in agricultural industries in Caribbean
Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 05, 2017 (SKNIS): Minister of Agriculture of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Eugene Hamilton, commended the Caribbean Agriculture Research Development Institute (CARDI) for its support and outlined some of the key accomplishments the institute has brought to the agricultural sectors throughout the Caribbean.
Minister Hamilton said that CARDI has been instrumental in assisting with facilitation of inter-regional agricultural trade and transport, strengthening of the regional cooperation between the islands, assisting regional bodies in finding resources to support agriculture, evaluating investment opportunities and sharing market intelligence over the past 44 years.
“Today I would say that CARDI has achieved. The science that goes into the production of agricultural products in the region has been driven primarily by CARDI,” said Minister Hamilton at a CARDI Day Conference held on 5 December at the Ministry of Agriculture.
The minister stated that in light of the recent devastation from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the strengths and weaknesses of the agricultural sector must be evaluated to determine available opportunities and solutions.
“It is important for us to understand what our opportunities are and to carve them out. Opportunities for us to improve on what we do by making the information available to those policy makers that agriculture is important to every facet of life,” he added.
The minister appealed to the CARDI representatives and urged them to continue their support to the region, especially to those farmers that were affected by the recent hurricanes.
“I expect that CARDI will also do what it can to ensure that the farmers benefit at this time, having gone through those two serious hurricanes,” he stated.
Mr. John King, representative of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), sister company to CARDI, noted that the Cooperation seeks to “strengthen the existing national and regional institutions, support member states to develop and implement public polices, promote horizontal cooperation and develop and implement public policies to manage the multiple environmental risks threatening the agricultural product.”
Mr. King congratulated CARDI for its achievements over the years and expressed his own pleasure of having St. Kitts and Nevis as a member of the IICA for the past 25 years.
“I am certain that you would agree that is was good for St. Kitts and Nevis to be a member of IICA, and for us at IICA it was our pleasure to support the agricultural sector and rural well-being in St. Kitts and Nevis,” he stated.
You may also be interested in:
La CSME, la seguridad alimentaria y la financiación climática encabezan la agenda de la Cumbre de CARICOM en las Bahamas.
The CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME); food security; climate change and climate finance; health; and security will be among the major topics when Heads of Government of
La Secretaría de CARICOM y la Agencia Caribeña para Soluciones de Justicia (CAJS) forjan una alianza para acelerar la transformación digital.
La Secretaría de CARICOM (CCS) y la Agencia Caribeña para Soluciones de Justicia (CAJS) han establecido una importante alianza con el objetivo de impulsar la transformación digital y mejorar la pre
Related Stories
Momentum accelerating towards fulfilling Region’s agriculture potential and food security
Raymond is passionate about farming. He is not one to simply plant a seed and expect it to grow, but he gets literally to the root of the science behind its growth.
Remarks by CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett at the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Andean Community (CAN) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) being held during the Thirty-Seventh Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean
Distinguished Chair; Honourable Ministers; Delegates; Ladies and Gentlemen.