St. Vincent and the Grenadines Agriculture Minister Issues Food Security Alert

(Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture) – The catastrophic situation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which suffered a series of volcanic eruptions this month that left the country in a state of emergency, is affecting the availability and affordability of food, said the Minister of Agriculture of the Eastern Caribbean nation, Saboto Caesar, who calculated the local agricultural losses at more than 150 million dollars.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines was affected by massive ash fall after the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano, the first since April 1979, which caused earthquakes and forced the displacement of some 20,000 people. This catastrophe has driven the country into a humanitarian crisis, according to reports presented by IICA staff in the Caribbean nation, the UN and local authorities.

“We are facing a catastrophe in agriculture, fishing, road infrastructure and other areas. We have problems that affect food security and sovereignty; the affordability, accessibility and availability of food is at risk”, stated Saboto Caesar when speaking before the Special Advisory Commission on Management Issues (SACMI) of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

“On behalf of the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, I wish to thank the partners and countries that have expressed their solidarity, the Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero, for his support and the assistance we have already received from the Institute. Thank you for the work you have done so far. We need this assistance to address the humanitarian crisis that we are facing at this time” added Mr. Caesar, who anticipated that the Government of the Caribbean country will shortly launch “a platform for the reconstruction of the agricultural sector”, an initiative for which he also requested assistance and support.

Read more at: Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Source: CARICOM TODAY