Material Support to Farmers Credited For Growth of the Agriculture Sector

The Agriculture Sector is expected to grow by 2.6 per cent in 2023.

Minister of Agriculture the Honourable Crenston Buffonge credits the continued growth to the level of support given to the sector over the past year, and programmes that are planned over the next twelve months.

The provision of irrigation systems to farmers, and the continuation of the water subsidy are included in the plans.

Minister Buffonge also announced the establishment of a Crop Protection Team to assist farmers improving crop yields.

The Department of Agriculture is pleased with the positive feedback from Wednesday’s Agriculture forum.

The forum, which was held at the Montserrat Cultural Center was geared towards improving the dialogue between the department and stakeholders including crop farmers, livestock farmers, and fishers.

On the issue of crop production, one of the issues raised was loose livestock and how it is threatening crop production.'

The department says this matter would be given top priority in the coming months..

Other issues raised at the meeting were pest controls, drought, and insurance.