Food standard certification, market analysis and agricultural technology are areas earmarked for growth in the region’s burgeoning Agriculture Sector.

Recommendations to take the OECS Agri-Export Initiative to the next level were reviewed by regional agriculture stakeholders convened at the 4th Meeting of the OECS Council of Agricultural Ministers held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on July 25, 2017.

The OECS shipping initiative aims to complement existing regional trade by positioning the sub region to capitalize on new opportunities and to better exploit underserved markets within the region and internationally.

Minister of Agriculture Saboto Caesar said a key aspect of the way forward is to ensure that agriculture stakeholders participate at the highest levels.

“We have a very large food import bill in the intra region and careful analysis and study has to continue to determine where we are going to move goods,” he said.

Minister Caesar also elaborated on the benefits of a trade arrangement between the government and people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines with neighbouring Grenada, with hope that a similar model can be replicated amongst OECS Member States.

Minister Caesar expects to see outcomes of this week’s meeting begin to materialize in the coming months.

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