Saint Lucia’s agriculture sector is poised for a major transformation with the introduction of a revised policy framework and strategy aimed at reducing the island’s food import bill, enhancing agri-food-fisheries livelihoods, and making the sector more attractive to young people.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), held a consultation meeting to gather input on the current state of the agriculture sector. The objective was to develop the Agricultural Policy Framework & Strategy for Saint Lucia 2023-2030.

“The agricultural policy for the Ministry of Agriculture expired in 2022. We sought assistance from the FAO for the development of a new policy. This policy is supposed to run from the year 2023-2030 in tandem with the 2023 SDG Development agenda. Therefore the ministry is ensuring that we meet those international milestones and the commitment that we signed up for,” said Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives, Barrymore Felicien.

The new framework and strategy aim to enhance the productivity of the agriculture sector in Saint Lucia while promoting sustainable growth, especially in light of the new challenges facing the industry. “We want to make this strategy homegrown, owned not only by the Ministry of Agriculture but all the stakeholders in the sector, so together we can change the dynamics in terms of having a strategy that not only focuses on the recovery of the agricultural sector but transformation, doing things completely differently. Making agriculture more attractive to the young people, making agriculture more responsive in terms of reducing the food import bill and at the same time increasing and enhancing the livelihood of all the people who seek and eat a living out of agriculture,” said Lead Technical Officer on this Project-FAO, Reuben Robertson.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development is committed to ensuring that the new Agricultural Policy Framework & Strategy for Saint Lucia 2023-2030 is aligned with the needs and priorities of stakeholders in the agriculture sector. “We appreciate the valuable input and feedback provided by the various ministry officials, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and partnership in achieving the goals and objectives of the new policy framework and strategy,” added Barrymore Felicien.

The new policy is expected to create new opportunities for farmers and other stakeholders and contribute to the overall development of the country.