Nevis, West Indies. ?A Non-Tourist-Trap? Blog About Nevis.

Now Accepting Applications For Officers

Basseterre, St. Kitts - Nevis
January 06, 2010 (SKNIS)

Farmers will be given even more reason to abide by the regulations and guidelines of the Department of Agriculture when its Compliance Unit commences operations in the near future.

Created by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Compliance Unit will be located at the Department of Agriculture which is inviting applications for Agriculture Compliance Officers.  These officers will be charged with monitoring and reporting as well as taking appropriate actions to prevent the unauthorized use or abuse of land and marine resources.  Officers will be paid at a scale equivalent to the Special Constables.

Application forms are currently available at the Department of Agriculture. They must be completed and accompanied by a passport sized photograph upon return to the department.  Director of Agriculture Mr. Ashton Stanley said that applicants will be required to attend training sessions and successful candidates will be determined after completion of all training exercises and review of performance by a selection team.

Related posts:

1. St. Kitts - Nevis Meets Agricultural Land Demand
2. New System To Expedite Agricultural Land Allocation
3. Lindsay Grant Promises Land…Agricultural Renaissance
4. St. Kitts - Nevis Land Distribution Committee To Meet
5. St. Kitts - Nevis Farmers Receive 1500 Acres Of Land

Robelto Hector On Taiwanese Open Day

Charlestown, Nevis
December 18, 2009

Minister of Agriculture, Land, Housing, Cooperatives and Fisheries in the Nevis Island Administration [NIA] Hon. Robelto Hector, made a call to the island’s farmers to continue to clench the opportunities available for them in Agriculture. This came at the Cades Bay Sweet Potato Field Day ceremony on Thursday 17 December 2009.

The event, which was a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Agriculture in Nevis and the Taiwan Technical Mission, saw remarks by the Agriculture Minister and his Permanent Secretary Dr. Kelvin Daly.

The Minister expressed the NIA’s gratitude to the Resident Taiwanese Ambassador, His Excellency R.C. Wu, for his continuous contribution but seized the opportunity to encourage the farmers.

“I would want to call on the farmers as I always do [to] try and maximize the advantage; make sure that you benefit from whatever is offered. I want to challenge the farmers that your plots too can be as impressive as this mission’s plot. So I ask you to take what is the message today in terms of sweet potato and the tech pack [technical package] and seek to make your farm as productive,” Minister Hector said.

The Agriculture Minister also underpinned the importance of the island’s youth becoming farmers.

“This matter of the replacement of farmers is very important. Some 40.8 percent of our population is under the age of 20. We have a very young population and what I want us to recognize is that as young people, there’s hope for us in Agriculture.”

Meantime, Dr. Daly outlined his department’s plans for sweet potato production and promotion in the upcoming year. Among these plans are to showcase new varieties of potato products and the initiation of an Integrated Pest Management programme geared toward the elimination of weevils.

“We anticipate that in 2010 we’ll be upscaling our production, here on Nevis, for sweet potatoes. We have identified some lands and the Minister has made available 40 acres of land at Low Ground.

“We are deadly serious that we intend to eliminate importing any sweet potato within a year to year and a half. It is something that we should be able to handle on Nevis given the history of our cultivation of sweet potatoes,” Daly said.

The event culminated with a sweet potato field tour and a question and answer segment, which the farmers took full advantage of.

Related posts:

1. Sweet Potato Casserole - Hilltop Restaurant, Nevis
2. Minister Calls On Farmers To Take Advantage Of Training
3. Nevis Reaps Rewards From Agriculture
4. Nevis Agriculture Needs New Technology
5. Nevis Agriculture Minister Happy About Sea Cotton Crop

Nevis Farmers Speak With Agricultural Represenatives

Basseterre, St.Kitts - Nevis
People’s Action Movement
November 4, 2009

The Peoples Action Movement shadow Minister of Agriculture, Eugene Hamilton is of the firm view that expanding the local agriculture market for produce will aid significantly in maintaining farmers survival.

Hamilton noted that expanding the market was the ultimate objective of a PAM administration. Hamilton pointed out that his party intends to create and establish various avenues and platforms so as to ensure that adequate supportive services are created for farmers to tap into the export market.

He noted that when elected his party will seek various forums in an effort to persuade potential buyers to “come in and work with farmers within the federation so as to aid the situation.”  The PAM shadow minister spoke about the urgent need for an aggressive export drive will significantly be the ultimate solution for farmers’ economic survival.

Hamilton recollected when his party was once in office noting that the agriculture sector was booming and stood firmly due to the investments and opportunities that were created.

He pointed out that hadn’t the PAM administration created certain infrastructural projects, agriculture would have been non existent today. He however noted the importance of adding the necessary services for stakeholders to tap into the market.

He however stopped short of identifying a number of initiatives that his party has in place that they intend to implement when they take office. “I will not reveal everything as it is important that I keep something’s under cover for the appropriate time,” he said.

He stressed that with a Peoples Action Movement administration farers will not suffer noting that his party understands clearly the important role of agriculture and intends to adequately invest the required resources thus ensuring that there is food security within the federation.

Related posts:

1. Hamilton Promises Significant Investment In Agriculture
2. Improved Public Market Earmarked For Charlestown
3. IICA Committed To Nevis’ Agricultural Development
4. Nevis Premier Asks For More Locally Grown Produce
5. PAM Deputy Leader Hamilton Notes Importance of Agriculture