Last Updated on October 1, 2022, 3:30 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The agri-food industry in St Kitts and Nevis will profit from an enhanced national quality infrastructure following the financing of a new project by the European Union and the Caribbean Development Bank.
Under this initiative, the joint effort of the European Union and the Caribbean Development Bank will provide St Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards (SKNBS) with new metrology equipment and training.
This equipment will accelerate services to agro-processors, enabling them to fulfil quality requirements for international export and enhance food production.
The project is “Strengthening the National Quality Infrastructure: Training and Equipment for Conformity Assessment”. The project details were made public during a launch ceremony on Monday, September 26, 2022.
The project is valued at EURO 100,960, supported through the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement and Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) Standby Facility for Capacity Building
By developing the capacity of St Kitts and Nevis’ agro-processing industry, the project will make agricultural products more competitive and improve market access in St Kitts and Nevis. This initiative will also promote economic diversification and increase employment opportunities.
These outcomes are critical to building resilience against socio-economic fallouts in light of the region’s reliance on the tourism sector. The dependence on the tourism sector has proven to be highly vulnerable to shocks such as COVID-19 and extreme climate-related events.
With the help of the new project, the SKNBS will also accelerate improved quality standards for local food production. The availability of more nutritious food can also increase as a result, which will reduce food insecurity.
Increased domestic food production can also counteract rising global food costs caused by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Further, the project will contribute to CARICOM’s commitment to reduce Member States’ food import bills by 25% by 2025.
In the past, the Minister of Agriculture of St Kitts and Nevis, Samal Duggins, attended an Agri-conference hosted by CARICOM. During the event, the minister of Agriculture also committed to decreasing the nation’s food import bill by 25% by 2025. According to Minister Duggins, this is a reasonable target to achieve.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
