The Commonwealth of Dominica is making a significant investment to build capacity in the agriculture sector. The country, which is home to rainforests, abundant flora and fauna, has rich fertile soil that helps support plant life. Components such as the soil, climate, topography, and location give Dominica the edge with their crop growing, and as the demand for organic food products increases globally, Dominica is prioritizing the agriculture sector.
Farmers in Dominica grow a diversity of crops – these include bananas, sweet potato, plantain, citrus fruits, vegetables, coffee, patchouli, aloe vera, cut flowers, mangoes, guavas, and papayas. This year, during the presentation of the 2022-2023 budget, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced various measures for the upliftment of the agriculture sector. He advised that the government aims to increase the agriculture contribution to 700 million Eastern Caribbean Dollars by 2030.
Prime Minister Skerrit also outlined that government will invest an initial EC$ 1 million in the provision of greenhouses, insect netting, saran netting (also referred to as cover material), equipment and irrigation systems.
He further announced that all the investments would ensure that fresh fruit and vegetables are available and affordable throughout the year, which will have a direct impact on the reduction of the food import bill as well as enhance food security.
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