Agriculture Minister Calls for Regional Unity at Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2025

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, Samal Duggins, has urged Caribbean nations to place agriculture at the forefront of regional development, resilience, and food security. Delivering the keynote address at the opening of the 19th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA 2025) on 29th September, 2025, Duggins stressed that agriculture must be treated as a cornerstone of sovereignty rather than a sector of last resort.

The event, held under the theme “Sowing Change, Harvesting Resilience: Transforming Our Caribbean Food Systems for 2025 and Beyond”, aims to confront the pressing challenges of climate change, fragile supply chains, and global economic shocks by strengthening agricultural capacity and collaboration.

Duggins highlighted the urgent need to reduce food imports, expand agro-processing, and scale up climate-smart practices. He noted that St. Kitts and Nevis has already invested in crops such as bananas, plantains, coconuts, and pineapples, while empowering youth and women to play a central role in agricultural transformation.

Calling for deeper regional and global ties, he emphasised South-South collaboration, particularly partnerships with African nations. He pointed to recent strengthening of relations with Nigeria as a model for knowledge exchange, investment, and the development of new value chains between Africa and the Caribbean.

“Agriculture today demands regional solidarity and global partnerships,” Duggins said. “Our challenges are shared, and so must be our solutions. This is the moment when words must become action.”

CWA 2025 is designed to showcase innovations and facilitate discussions to build a more food-secure, climate-resilient, and economically vibrant Caribbean.

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