Minister of Agriculture Israel Bruce said research and development are crucial for the continued growth of the agricultural sector in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Minister was speaking to reporters during a visit to the Orange Hill Field Station of the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute to coincide with activities to observe CARDI Day.

Minister Bruce said agriculture data is crucial in ensuring efficient and effective farm practices.

"Because as you know, in the absence of critical data we are bound to make several or in fact too many mistakes in our agricultural production, and so this is critical what is happening out here at Orange Hill. What I just saw moments ago speaks volume of the seriousness, the dedication and the commitment of CARDI to ensure that they do adequate research. The importance of that is to get the Farmers in this particular district zone to understand where their soil quality is and what needs to happen to enhance their soil quality, enhance production, and to give certainty and consistency to their production and that is so critical in the marketplace."

SOURCE: National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC Radio)