Nevis Farming And Nevis Agriculture
Through investment in human resources, modern equipment and the use of technology, there has been an advancement in agriculture. The Nevis Island Administration (NIA) is now beginning to reap the rewards.
Dr. Kelvin Daly is the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture for Nevis Island. He told SKNVibes that :
The transformation involves significant investments in creating new farms and expanding existing ones. In 2007 over 90 acres of scrubland was cleared, fenced and put under production – 60 acres for cotton, 15 acres for onions and 15 acres for fruit trees.
In this one bold move, we doubled the amount of acreage under constant production. To date we have invested over $200,000 on these projects.
The NIA’s generous concession and subsidy programme have encouraged the retention of both new and seasoned farmers. Duty free vehicles, equipment, farm supplies of every description, marketing, support and of course access to a well trained and diligent Extension service. The value of this farm support exceeds $5 million.
Mr. Keithley Amory is the Director of Agriculture on Nevis Island. He said that THERE IS MONEY IN FARMING.
He informed the public that in 2008, farmers on Nevis were able to meet local demands for tomatoes, cabbage, sweet peppers and pork for one month.
Today, the island of Nevis was self sufficient in tomatoes and eggplant with an abundance of carrots, onions and sweet pepper. They were able to meet the demand for pumpkin and okra in January 2009. The sale of the 2007/2008 crop grossed $94,100.00 (US).
Schools are encouraging Nevis students into the field of Agriculture and to produce fresh vegetables for the School Feeding Program.
It is nice to see Nevis prospering. You can read more on money in farming in Nevis HERE. Nevis agriculture is alive and well.
Nevis Lover ~ Becca Briley 
