Minister of Agriculture Saboto Caesar says Saint Vincent and the Grenadines must move toward adding more value to its livestock sector, particularly in pork processing, to reduce reliance on imports.

Speaking in an interview with the Agency for Public Information (API), Minister Caesar expressed concern that while local farmers are producing significant amounts of pork, the country still imports large quantities of bacon and hams, especially during the Christmas season.

As part of efforts to boost domestic supply and strengthen the pork value chain, the Minister encouraged young farmers to engage with the Ministry on opportunities such as the artificial insemination of pigs, which he said is a crucial step toward improving breeding and increasing local output.

"I want to encourage the young farmers in particular: you should come into the Ministry and let us have a discussion about how you can advance artificial insemination in pigs. We are able to establish a platform so that you can gain that knowledge and benefit from technology transfer. There are many young persons graduating from the Technical College. We have to get to the stage where we are adding more value.

We have significant production of pork in the country, but we are still importing too many pounds of bacon. We need to add value. When it is Christmas and we have the hams, we are importing the hams. But we have to take the primary production to the next level."

The Minister’s comments follow his Ministry’s recent distribution of piglets to farmers across the country for breeding purposes, in a bid to expand the national pig population and enhance food security.

SOURCE: National Broadcasting Corporation