St Kitts and Nevis: Locals Farmers growing crops to support 25 by 25 initiative

St Kitts and Nevis: The local farmers of St Kitts and Nevis have contributed to the “25 by 25 Crop Farmer initiative” by growing products in the country. With assistance from locally available things, farmers have grown vegetables, fruits, and other products on the farmlands, aiming to reduce the import rate.

The first Crop farmer from St Peters named Iteana Pemberton shared her story and noted that she has been farming for over forty years. In these years, her crops have featured massive progress and made her earn a lot with significant assistance from the Department of Agriculture.

She noted that her farm received the donation of solar fencing wire and ground cover from the Agriculture Department under their 25 by 25 initiative. Pemberton added that the materials have helped her fight the invasive monkey population in Ogees, St Peters.

The second farmer on the list was Fitzgerald Hendrickson who have produced watermelon on his farming land and shared his story. He noted that the crop has been progressing in an efficient manner as he received watermelon seedlings under the 25 by 25 initiative.

He said that the watermelon seedlings have covered the full ground in particular that enabling him to properly clear weeds from around his crops.

Under the initiative of 25 by 25, the government of St Kitts and Nevis has been working to reduce the food imports by producing local products on their own lands. In order to bolster agriculture resilience and water management, the Ministry of Agriculture also announced that over 1000-gallon water tanks are being prepared for distribution free of charge to local farmers across the country.

Each 1000-gallon tank will enhance the water scarcity resources during dry spells and ensure sustainable crop production throughout the year. The tanks will be distributed to the farmers in the coming weeks and priority will be given to farmers in areas most vulnerable to water shortages.