Agriculture

"Investors in this sector of the economy are free to take advantage of regional trade agreements"

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic, it has become evident of the vital role the agricultural sector must play in ensuring the nation’s food security.

Additionally, global conflicts and supply chain disruptions, and climate change has shown to have far-reaching effects on small island developing states obvious in the rise in food prices. These economic shocks were magnified by the over-reliance on food imports as over 90% of the food consumed in St Kitts and Nevis is imported. This means that there exists an untapped local market rife with business opportunities.   

As a result of these shocks, the government of St Kitts and Nevis has refocused its attention on the growth and development of the agricultural sector. The new thrust is geared towards a more technologically driven agricultural sector. The main goal of that action is to further improve the food security of the federation by encouraging local production that can meet the market demand with as few disruptions as possible. With the renewed emphasis on agriculture, the federal government is enhancing the business climate to facilitate new investment opportunities within the sector.

 

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Therefore, there are several priority areas where additional investments would reap dividends.

  • Protected agriculture: This includes the use of greenhouses, vertical farming, hydroponics, and aquaponics systems that can allow for the all-year-round production of selected crops.
  • Aquaculture: This involves the production of aquatic organisms mainly fishes under controlled conditions for consumption.
  • Sustainable crop and livestock commercial farming. This involves the use of sustainable technologically driven farming systems that can operate on a large scale in the open field.
  • Input suppliers: This involves the formulation of a supply chain that can provide agricultural inputs in a timely and cost-effective manner from global suppliers.
  • Warehousing and cold chain storage facilities.
  • Crop insurance and micro-lending institutions or various digital solutions for agricultural financing.
  • Agro-processing: This involves the creation of value-added products that can be marketed to the local and international markets.

Opportunities for Investors

Our Strategic Advantages in Information Agriculture

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The agriculture sector holds great potential for the creation of wealth for potential investors. The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has set in place an Agricultural Development Strategy in response global threats to food security.

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The increasing demand for food staples spurred on by the increasing world population and the adverse effects on the price of food by factors such as oil prices, the occurrence of extreme weather conditions in key export markets and others, make investment in the agricultural sector a worthwhile venture. The road map to development in the agricultural sector is intended to reduce the country’s food importation bill through local production. According to the Ministry of Agriculture tremendous opportunities are available for commercial farming as local demands continue to outpace local supply.

The government of St. Kitts and Nevis has employed a multidisciplinary approach to its Agricultural Development Strategy, encompassing vital components such as incentives packages, increase availability of land, investment in agro processing technology and increased linkages with the tourism sector.

Investors in this sector of the economy are free to take advantage of regional trade agreements derived from St. Kitts’ membership in CARICOM and the OECS to gain access to wider markets. St. Kitts’ geographical location in the Eastern Caribbean and modern air and sea port facilities provides a strategic advantage with existing shipping corridors to Jamaica in the North and Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana in the south.

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