Annual Agriculture Review 2008 - Government of Grenada

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 

Mission Statement 

A professional and highly motivated staff providing efficient, effective, quality services to 

the agricultural community (farming, fishing, forestry) to stimulate maximum production 

for local consumption, export and increased incomes through the sustainable use of 

natural resources. 

Vision Statement 

An agricultural sector that is globally competitive, ensures food security and sustainable 

livelihoods for the Nation and the conservation of our natural environment. 

Guiding Principles 

To Facilitate Agricultural Development through the following values: 

Efficiency, Impartiality, Transparency, Responsiveness, Professionalism. 

Key Activities 

• Provide technical advice (support) to key stakeholders - farmers, fisherfolks and 

forestry, agro-processors 

• Provide policy advice for the further development of the sector 

• Provide training for all those involved in the sector (including youth and existing 

agriculturalists) 

• Data & Information (marketing, technical GIS) to stakeholders 

• Develop and maintain public infrastructure (access roads, drains, fishing centers, 

maritime monitoring) 

• Provide support services, such as plants (propagation), pest and disease control, 

irrigation advice 

• Represent the sector locally and internationally 

• Undertake research and development 

• Provide technology support for the sector –crops; livestock; fisheries; forestry 

• Manage Government estates, forest reserves and protected areas , fishing assets and 

resources 

• Develop and maintain linkages with stakeholders 

• Promote marketing and investment opportunities, including seeking financing for 

sector development 

• Public awareness 

• Administrative support for the work of the Ministry 

Published November 2009 

Editor/Information Specialist/ 

Planning Officer: Kimberly M. 

Thomas 

Co-Editor/Senior Planning Officer: 

Daniel Lewis 

Ministry of Agriculture 

Botanical Gardens, Tanteen, St. 

George’s, Grenada W.I. 

Tel: 473-440-2708 

Fax: 473-440-4191 

Email: agriculture@gov.gd 

Website: www.gov.gd/ministries/ 

agriculture.html

This Review has been produced by the 

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 

with assistance from Food and Agriculture 

Organization (FAO) with financing from the 

European Union’s (EU’s) Special Framework of 

Assistance (GCP/RLA/167/EC SFA2006). 

1

Table of Contents 

Foreword 4 

Permanent Secretary Remarks 6 

Introduction 7 

Ministry of Agriculture’s Impact 9 

on Grenada’s Agriculture Industry 

Performance of Fruits, Vegetables 

and Root Crop Subsectors and 

Assessment of the Impact by 

Supporting Ministerial Divisions 

11 

Fruit Subsector 11 

Vegetable Subsector 12 

Tubers and Root Crop 12 

Subsector 

Agronomy Division 13 

Biotechnology Division 15 

Extension Division 17 

Pest Management Unit 19 

Engineering Division 21 

Performance of the Livestock 25 

Subsector and Assessment and 

Impact of Supporting Ministerial 

Division 

Livestock Subsectors 25 

Poultry Sub-Sector 26 

Veterinary and Livestock 26 

Division 

Performance of the Fisheries 



Division 

29 

Fisheries Subsector 29 

Fisheries Division 29 

Performance of the Forestry 33 



Division 

Forestry Subsector 33 

Forestry Division 33 

Performance of the Agro- 

Processing Subsector and 

Assessment and Impact of 

Supporting Ministerial Division 

36 

Agro-Processing Subsector 36 

Produce Chemist Laboratory 36 

Performance of the Spice Subsector 39 

and Assessment and Impact of 

Supporting Statutory Association 

Spice Subsector 39 

Minor Spice Cooperative 39 

Marketing Society 

Performance of the Cocoa 


Impact of Supporting Statutory 

Association 

41 

Cocoa Subsector 41 

Grenada Cocoa Association 41 

Performance of the Nutmeg 


Impact of Supporting Statutory 

Association 

44 

Nutmeg Subsector 44 

Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg 44 

Association 

Ministry of Agriculture’s 4H 

Movement 

Ministry of Agriculture’s Projects 

and Programmes to Support 

Agriculture Development 

48 

49 

Projects & Finance Division 49 

Support Received From 51 

Collaborating Institutions and /or 

Donor Community 

Food and Agriculture 

Organization 

51 

The European Union 51 

The Chinese Agricultural 52 

Mission 

The University of the West 

Indies 

Caribbean Agriculture 

Research and Development 

Institute 

Inter-American Institute for 

Cooperation on Agriculture 

52 

52 

53 

Articles 55 

Grenada’s Agrarian Economy 56 

– Exploiting the Niche of Agro- 

Tourism - By Shadel Nyack 

Compton, Proprietor, Belmont 

Estate 

Why the Development of 

a Scientifically Sound and 

Sustainable Food Security Strategy, 

Programme and Policy Can No 

Longer Be Left on the Fringes of 

Agricultural Priorities in Grenada? 

- By Daniel Lewis, Senior Planning 

Officer, Ministry of Agriculture 

Agricultural Production Data 

– Pivotal for Promoting the 

Commercialization of Agriculture 

in Grenada - By Jude Houston, 

Consultant, FAO 

Meteorological Observation for 

2008 

60 

64 

67 

List of Tables 68 

List of Figures 68 

References 69 

Contacts 70 

Notes 71 

Websites 72 

Annex 72 

Annex 1: Food and Live 72 

Animals Imports 01/2008 – 

06/2008 

Annex 2: Food and Live 72 

Animals Exports 01/2008 – 

06/2008 

2

Acronyms 

AHFS 

Agricultural Health and 

Food Security 

GDBS 

Grenada Bureau of 

Standards 

NMTPF 

National Medium Term 

Priority Framework 

CABA 

CANARI 

CAP 

CARDI 

CARIWIN 

CIDA 

CFIA 

CTA 

EU 

FAO 

GAB 

GAFY 

GAP 

GASAP 

GCA 

GCFL 

Caribbean Agri Business 

Association 

Caribbean Natural 

Resource Institute 

Conservation Action Plan 


Research and 

Development Institute 

Caribbean Water 

Initiative 

Canadian International 

Development Agency 

Canadian Food 

Inspection Agency 

Technical Centre for 

Agricultural and Rural 

Cooperation (ACP-EU) 

European Union 


Organization 

Grenada Association of 

Beekeepers 

Grenada Agriculture 

Forum for Youths 

Good Agricultural 

Practices 

Grenada Association of 

Small Agro Processors 

Grenada Cocoa 

Association 

Grenada Commercial 

Fisheries Limited 

GDP 

GFFF 

GCNA 

GFNC 

GRENROP 

HACCP 

ICCAT 

IICA 

IMU 

ISO 

MNIB 

MOA 

NADMA 

NAWASA 

NDFG 

NGO 

Gross Domestic Product 

Grenada Fish Friday 

Festival 

Grenada Cooperative 

Nutmeg Association 

Grenada Food and 

Nutrition Council 

Grenada Network of 

Rural Women Producers 

Hazard Analysis Critical 

Control Point 

International 

Commission of the 

Conservation of Atlantic 

Tunas 

Inter-American Institute 

for Cooperation on 

Agriculture 

Irrigation Management 

Unit 

International 

Organization for 

Standardization 

Marketing and National 

Importing Board 


National Disaster 

Management Authority 

National Water and 

Sewage Authority 

National Development 

Foundation of Grenada 

Non-Governmental 

Organization 

OECS 

OECS- 

ESDU 

SSOP 

TCP 

TNC 

UNDP 

UNFF 

USAID 

UWI 

VHF/SSB 

WIBDECO 

WTO/SPS 

Organization of the 

Eastern Caribbean States 

Organization of the 

Eastern Caribbean States/ 

Environmental and 

Sustainable Development 

Unit 

Sanitation Standard 

Operating Procedures 

Technical Cooperation 

Programme 

The Nature Conservancy 

United Nations 

Development Programme 

United Nations Forum 

on Forest 

United States Agency 

for International 

Development 

University of the West 

Indies 

Very High Frequency/ 

Single Side Band 

Windward Islands 

Banana Development 

and Exporting Company 

World Trade 

Organization/Sanitary 

and Phyto Sanitary 

NOTE: All prices/values are quoted in Eastern Caribbean Dollars. Exchange rate EC$1 = US$0.37 

3

Foreword 

Hon. Michael Denis Lett 

The Minister for Agriculture 

Our Government has a very clear and 

unambiguous vision for the agriculture sector 

in Grenada. The vision is for an agriculture 

sector that is globally competitive, ensuring 

food security and sustainable livelihoods for 

the entire nation and the maintenance of a 

quality natural environment. 

As Minister with responsibility for 

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 

it gives me immense pleasure and an 

exceedingly profound sense of gratification 

to be associated with the first publication 

of this Annual Agriculture Review which, 

essentially, highlights the performance of 

the industry in 2008. 

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and 

Fisheries attaches enormous importance 

to the annual review of the sector which 

is intended to provide a summary of the 

achievements of this pivotal industry in 

2008. This review will provide details on 

progress made thus far in the revitalization 

efforts following the devastation of the 

sector by Hurricanes Ivan and Emily 

in 2004 and 2005 respectively. It will 

also address problems confronting the 

sector’s development, its impact on rural 

communities and on the island’s food 

security and its contribution to GDP. 

As Minister of Agriculture and someone 

who has been intimately associated with 

the sector over many years, I am painfully 

aware of the problems that exist for many 

stakeholders who are interested in assessing 

up to date information on the sector and are 

not able to do so because of the absence of 

a comprehensive document where reliable 

and credible information can be obtained. 

The publication of the agriculture review, 

no doubt, will address this anomaly. 

I have always held the view that a prosperous 

and dynamic agriculture industry is 

critically needed to ensure a buoyant and 

healthy economy in Grenada. In other 

words, the fortune of the island’s economy 

is intrinsically intertwined with that of the 

agriculture industry. It is not by accident 

therefore that Government has placed such 

a high priority on the development of the 

sector. 

The Ministry of Agriculture has prioritized 

food security as a major thrust as it endeavors 

to revitalize the agriculture sector. What 

has transpired over the last year or so, in 

relation to the escalation of food prices and 

the scarcity that resulted as a consequence 

of the restrictions that have been placed on 

food exports by some countries, have made 

us more conscious of the need to place 

greater emphasis on enhancing the island’s 

capability to produce, in a more sustainable 

manner, food production. 

A food security programme is presently 

being implemented which has been 

supported, in an admirable way, by the 

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 

who has provided financial, material and 

technical support and by the Government 

of Grenada. 

Another area that will be given high priority 

is food quality and safety. Not only must 

food be made affordable and available to 

the population but the quality and safety 

of foods must meet the basic standards. 

Assistance in that area will be solicited 

from the FAO. Farmers will be encouraged 

to implement Good Agricultural Practices 

(GAP) and a farmers’ certification 

programme will be implemented by the 

Ministry of Agriculture. 

While a lot of effort is placed currently 

in boosting agriculture production, 

Government will pursue vigorously efforts 

to protect the environment and to preserve 

the island’s natural resources. As a small 

island developing state, with very fragile 

ecosystems, we cannot afford to make the 

colossal blunder that others have made in 

the past where environmental degradation 

has been carried out in the name of progress. 

Several Departments in the Ministry such 

4

Foreword ...continued 

as Forestry, Land Use, Fisheries, etc. which 

are all charged with natural resources 

management, will be called upon to 

strengthen their surveillance and capability 

to deal with the environmental challenges 

that lay ahead. 

One area that enormous attention will be 

given to is that of disaster management. 

Given the fact that the farming community 

is always at risk of natural calamities and 

mindful of the fact that the industry was 

decimated in recent times by hurricanes, 

steps will be taken to mitigate the risks in 

agriculture against all forms of these natural 

phenomena. The Ministry will put systems 

in place to work very closely with the 

National Disaster Management Authority 

(NADMA) and will endeavor to establish a 

disaster management unit. 

Serious agriculture development cannot 

take place in the absence of effective policy 

framework and therefore, Government 

will assess from time to time the prevailing 

objective conditions and will put in place 

policies that will have a positive impact 

on the development of the 

industry, the 

natural environment and on the prosperity 

of all stakeholders who are associated with 

the agri- food sector. 

On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, I 

am obliged to acknowledge and recognize 

the tremendous support the Ministry has 

received during 2008 from collaborating 

institutions such as FAO, IICA, CARDI, 

the University of the West Indies, the 

Chinese Agricultural Mission, the European 

Union, the Caribbean Development Bank, 

the International Trade Centre, the UNDP, 

the CTA and other Local, Regional and 

International organizations. The Ministry 

wishes to place on record its immense 

appreciation to all those institutions and 

I sincerely hope that such support and 

collaboration will be enhanced during the 

upcoming years. 

Finally, let me take this 

opportunity to express 

a special gratitude 

to the EU, 

FAO and the staff of the Ministry of 

Agriculture who, collaboratively, have made 

the production of this Annual Agriculture 

Review possible. It is my sincerest hope 

that persons reading this review will 

find it informative, interesting and very 

rewarding. 

5

Permanent Secretary Remarks 

Mrs. Gemma Bain-Thomas 

Permanent Secretary 2008 

Agriculture has long been regarded as 

the mainstay of Grenada’s economy. 

Our traditional crops of cocoa, 

nutmeg and banana have played significant 

and meaningful roles in the development of 

the country economically, socially, politically 

and culturally. However, over the past two 

decades, the economy has shifted from one 

being agriculture dominated into a services 

dominated economy with Tourism being 

the leading foreign exchange earner. 

The agriculture sector now accounts for 

approximately 6% of GDP and employs 

about 8% of the total labour force. 

Agriculture exports in 2008 amounted to 

approximately EC $20M. The principal 

export crops being cocoa, nutmeg and 

mace, spices, citrus and other fruits and 

vegetables. 

The agriculture sector suffered significant 

losses during the passage of Hurricanes Ivan 

and Emily in 2004 and 2005 respectively. 

Whilst the sector has enjoyed a notable 

measure of recovery; the conditions in the 

sector still remain difficult. 

The global economic meltdown has 

provided an opportunity for the agriculture 

sector to once again regain its’ prominence 

and play a defining role in nation building. 

For this to happen though, certain prerequisites 

must take place such as a careful 

analysis of the state of the sector, careful 

planning to drive capital injection into the 

sector, development and implementation 

of supporting policies and legislation, 

development of human resource capacity 

and the ability to attract young persons 

into the sector. There must be a focus on 

value added and a radical transformation of 

the agricultural industry. 

This annual agricultural review must 

therefore be seen in the above context. It is a 

welcomed move that should be seen as a rare 

opportunity being provided to undertake 

a careful analysis of where we are in the 

stream of time and to enable policy makers 

to arrive at the most timely interventions 

that would result in a transformation of the 

sector. 

My hope as Permanent Secretary in the 

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and 

Fisheries is that the compilation and 

publication of this annual agricultural 

review will serve as the catalyst for the 

total resuscitation of the agri – business 

sector, the improvement of the standard of 

living of the farming community and the 

revitalization of the rural economy. 

6

Introduction 

Agriculture remains one of the 

most critical sectors of Grenada’s 

economy. The sector continues to 

play a significant role in the livelihoods 

of rural communities often as their 

lone source of income. The Food and 

Agriculture Organization (FAO) heralds 

the agriculture industry as one that provides 

the prospect for progress towards food 

security, trade subsequently sustainable 

development (Bruinsma 2003). Agriculture 

development has the potential to provide 

an opportunity for wealth distribution and 

economic growth necessary for poverty 

eradication and rural development. The 

exigency for agriculture development and 

diversification has intensified in recent 

years considering the negative social and 

economic impacts inherited from trade 

liberalization and globalization. The loss 

of preferential treatment of once lucrative 

exported commodities has resulted in 

direct and significant reduction in rural 

economic activities. Notwithstanding these 

impediments, the industry is laden with 

tremendous potential. 

Despite the agriculture industry’s inherent 

potential for national economic progress 

in Grenada, economic development rather, 

a myriad of challenges associated with the 

sector has forestalled it’s preeminence over 

other economic sectors. Some of these 

underlining challenges are: industry wide 

devastation caused by natural disasters 

(two hurricanes within less than one year), 

insufficient existence and enforcement 

of agriculture policies, obsolete farming 

systems, limited or more often total 

deficiency in the use of technology, paucity 

in agricultural research and development, 

inadequate farm labourers or labour systems, 

aging farming community (average age of 

farmers as high as 54) which, inevitably, 

has affected productivity in the industry, 

thereby threatening future sustenance 

of the sector. The problem of an aging 

farming community hinges on the inability 

of the sector to attract the youths, possibly 

because of failure of stakeholders to change 

face of the agriculture from an industry 

of ‘last resort’ and disdain to one that is 

extremely scientific and utilizes modernized 

technologies with the outcome of viable 

business ventures. Many other intractable 

problems exist, including inadequate credit 

facilities, unattractive prices for agriculture 

produce, disorganized markets, lack of 

production planning and limited agroprocessing. 

As the global economies continue in 

instability and emit adverse impacts to 

10.00% 

9.00% 

8.00% 

7.00% 

6.00% 

5.00% 

4.00% 

3.00% 

2.00% 

1.00% 

0.00% 

8.65% 8.51% 

vulnerable developing countries such as 

exorbitant food prices, the urgency to 

focus on local agriculture development has 

become even more essential. The Ministry 

of Agriculture continues to advocate the 

sustainable development of the sector. 

Previous successes from many of its strategies 

and programmes employed have been 

generally short-lived, a consequence of the 

devastation of Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The 

Grenada’s Agriculture Sector Contribution to GDP by Economic Activity 

Percentage 

Contribution 

to GDP 

4.50% 

4.60% 

5.75% 

6.25% 

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 

Year 

Grenada’s Agriculture Sector Contribution to National Export Earnings 

Export 

Earnings in 

Millions 

$35 

$30 

$25 

$20 

$15 

$10 

$5 

$0 

2005 2006 2007 2008 

Year 

Figure 

1 

Figure 

2 

7

Introduction ...continued 

agriculture sector suffered losses amounting 

to EC$118.9 million inclusive of tree crops, 

livestock, bees, fisheries, forestry, farm 

roads and other agricultural infrastructure 

(FAO, IICA, OECS Secretariat 2004). 

Subsequent years reflected the rehabilitation 

and revitalization efforts of the Ministry 

to resuscitate the sector. Even though the 

sector is yet to be completely restored 

(especially as it relates to traditional crops 

such as nutmeg and cocoa with longer 

gestation periods) it may be contended that 

the sector has made significant strides. 

In 2008, as projected by the Central 

Statistics Office, Agriculture contributed 

6.25% to Gross Domestic Product by 

economic activity whilst preliminary and 

actual figures for the previous years indicated 

marginal increases signaling restoration of 

the sector post Hurricanes Ivan and Emily. 

An estimate from Central Statistics Office 

on agricultural exports earnings, exclusive of 

agro-processing exports in 2008, amounted 

to EC$22.5 million, 30.4% of total export. 

Agricultural exports earnings represents 

a 29.1% (EC$9.3 million) decrease in 

2008 when compared with activities in 

2005. Central Statistics Office’s estimates 

for 2008, food importation inclusive of 

meats, amounted to EC$175.1 million. 

Statistics for Agriculture’s contribution 

to employment in Grenada for the year 

2008 is unavailable since Grenada’s Central 

Statistics Office conducted its latest Labour 

Force Survey since 2005, however, in that 

year, the agriculture industry provided 

employment for 8.8% of the rural 

communities, 8.3% represented as the rural 

poor. Ministry of Agriculture statistics from 

the extension division records a total of 

approximately 10,000 part-time and full 

time farmers that is a significant 10% of 

Grenada’s national population. 

Whilst the actual economic and social 

impacts on rural development and rural 

economic diversification are difficult to 

assess due to the lack of impact studies for 

decades, the evidence of rural economies 

dependence are often visible when various 

sub-sectors collapse. For instance, the 

decline of the banana industry which 

accelerated in the mid nineties resulted in 

increase unemployment and poverty in 

the rural banana community of Clozier, 

St. John. Similarly, the devastation of the 

nutmeg industry during Hurricanes Ivan 

and Emily continues to have detrimental 

impacts on rural communities especially 

more vulnerable agrarian communities 

such as those in St. Mark and St. Andrew. 

These indicators provide fundamental 

insights on the national dependence of the 

Agriculture Industry for the transformation 

of rural economies, poverty alleviation, 

food security and sustainable economic 

development. 

The 2008 annual review is mandated to 

formally assess the overall performance 

of the agriculture sector from both an 

institutional and production perspective. 

Departments and sub-sectors performance 

are evaluated with cognizance of the 

expectations of the sector’s stakeholders. 

The review is expected to highlight 

achievements, identify constraints and 

inform problems solving and strategies 

formulation for future development and 

agriculture diversification. Grenada’s 2008 

annual review would also seek to enquire 

of the extent to which the sector began to 

adhere to the National Policy and Strategy 

for Agriculture which promotes the 

modernization of Agriculture in Grenada 

and also the Ministry of Agriculture’s success 

in aligning its strategies to the strategic 

objectives of its allied and international 

donor agencies. 

Over the years, Grenada’s agriculture 

sector has been the recipient of numerous 

assistance; financial, technical and other wise 

from prominent international and regional 

allied agriculture and pro-development 

organizations. It is anticipated that the 

review would provide donor agencies with 

required statistics, information and analysis 

to allow the formulation of appropriate 

assistance, facilitate assistance to be 

effectively monitored, support the Ministry 

of Agriculture in its impact assessment and 

also to plan future activities. The review 

would also allow national planners and 

decision makers to assess the contribution 

of agriculture within the overall economy 

and allocate the necessary resources for 

its development and also permitting 

researchers, students and potential investors 

to use the information emanating from the 

review for further development of Grenada’s 

Agriculture Subsectors. 

8

Ministry of Agriculture’s Impact on Grenada’s Agriculture Industry 

The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) 

endeavors to be the premiere 

agricultural service provider in 

Grenada with a summary of objectives which 

promote the facilitation of food security 

in Grenada, agriculture development, 

agriculture diversification, the sustainable 

use of natural resources, agriculture 

production that enables increase economic 

returns for all stakeholders of the sector and 

the national economy on a whole. 

The Ministry operates extensively within 

a legislative and regulatory framework. 

Planning and budgetary activities are 

directed by eleven (11) governing and 

In the year 2008, the Ministry of Agriculture 

identified its main priority areas as creating 

an environment for enhancing growth 

in the agricultural sector, evaluating and 

strategizing to improve the management and 

delivery of all its functions, translating and 

implementing national policies relating to 

its portfolio, developing and implementing 

programmes that are economically viable, 

socially acceptable and environmentally 

sound and seeking to support programmes 

that would contribute to the economic 

and social well being of stakeholders. The 

MOA identified essential areas for extensive 

focus as: creating and maintaining an 

environment for enhancing productivity 

The agriculture sector in Grenada is 

moderately diversified indicative by the 

specialized agricultural service departments. 

The Ministry of Agriculture comprises of 

ten (10) agricultural service divisions; the 

Administration, Planning, Agronomy, 

Research and Development, Extension 

Services, Land Use and Agriculture 

Engineering, Fisheries, Veterinary and 

Livestock, Forestry, Pest Management 

and the Produce Chemist Laboratory. All 

divisions were expected to aspire to attain 

the Ministry’s vision of providing superior 

services to all stakeholders to facilitate 

agriculture development. The service 

activities of the Ministry of Agriculture 

Laura Estate, St. David 

enabling legislative framework including 

the Medium Term Framework for 

Collaboration with the FAO and the 

Agriculture Policy, coined by the Agency 

for Rural Development. The activities of 

the Ministry of Agriculture in 2008 were 

also aligned to the Jagdeo Initiative, a 

framework developed towards the common 

goal of a regional agricultural repositioning 

strategy and the Agro 2003-2015 Plan for 

Agriculture and Rural Life in the Americas. 

The Agro 2003-2015 Plan is the shared 

long-term agenda for promoting the 

sustainable development of agriculture and 

the rural milieu, for the improvement of 

Agriculture and Rural Life in the Americas 

(IICA 2007:14). 

and competitiveness, facilitating the 

production of safe foods, education and 

training in order to develop and implement 

public awareness programmes and training 

sessions for its stakeholders. 

September 9th – 11th 2008 marked 

a new dispensation for the agriculture 

industry in Grenada as over one hundred 

(100) stakeholders from the agriculture 

community, professionals and lecturers 

at the University of the West Indies 

participated in a Strategic Planning 

Retreat. The retreat which took the format 

of a national stakeholders consultation 

documented a framework which would 

guide intervention strategies to revitalizing 

the agriculture sector. 

remain extremely diverse and dynamic, 

employing a total of 139 agricultural 

professionals and technical service staff. 

Additionally, as was the case in previous 

years, the Ministry remained intimately 

associated with six statutory bodies, the 

Grenada Cocoa Association (GCA), the 

Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg Association 

(GCNA), Minor Spice Cooperative 

Marketing Society, Grenada Commercial 

Fisheries Limited (GCFL), the Grenada 

Food and Nutrition Council (GFNC) 

and National Water and Sewage Authority 

(NAWASA). The operations of the GCA, 

GCNA and Minor Spice Cooperative 

Marketing Society would be highlighted in 

this annual review. 

9

Extension 

Services 

Agro- 

Tourism 

The Dynamics of Grenada’s Agriculture Sector 

Planning/ 

Marketing & 

Communication 

Pest 

Management 

Services 

Biotechnology 

Research & 

Development 

Engineering 

Services 

Agronomy Forestry Fisheries 

Services Services 

Livestock & 

Veterinary 

Services 

Produce 

Chemist 

Laboratory 

Spices Commodities 

Fruit & Root Crop Livestock Agro- Forestry Fisheries 

Vegetable 

Processing 

Grenada’s Agriculture Sector 

Figure 

3 

Administration Agricultural Services Subsectors 

10

Performance of Fruits, Vegetables and Root Crops Subsectors and 

Assessment of the Impact by Supporting Ministerial Divisions 

Since the abrogation of the Agriculture 

Statistical Department in the 

1990’s, there was no structured 

data collection system to capture actual 

production data for fruits, vegetables, 

tubers and root crops production. Despite 

this shortcoming, production data for the 

past four years including the year under 

review was estimated based on purchases 

data collected from the Marketing National 

and Importing Board (MNIB). The 

assumption is that Marketing and National 

Importing Board purchases 15% of the 

overall fruits, vegetables and root crop 

production. The national production was 

therefore estimated as 100%. Consideration 

was given to the fact that drastic declines 

in purchases of produce from the MNIB 

would not necessary indicate proportional 

decline in the overall production. Some 

producers (with the exception of contracted 

farmers) often consider MNIB to be a 

market of last resort, a consequence of 

unattractive price structures compared to 

more lucrative markets such as the hotel 

industry. This limitation would therefore 

hinder generalizablity of findings. 

Evidently, Grenada has a sizeable fruit 

subsector compared with that of vegetables 

and tubers and root crops. Post Ivan, the 

fruit subsector fluctuated after a significant 

increase in production in 2006. In 2008, there 

was decrease in production by less than 1%. 

Leading fruits for 2008 and previous years 

in descending order of performance were 

banana (ripen), golden apple, Julie mango, 

watermelon and orange with ripe bananas 

representing 50% of total fruit production. 

Soursop recorded an astounding 113% 

increased compared to production in 2007 

whilst cantaloupes decreased by 28%. The 

overall performance of the fruit subsector in 

Grenada demonstrates significant potential 

for agro-processing of fruits. 

Vegetable production increased by 9% 

in 2008. Leading vegetable production 

performance in descending order were 

tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbages, callaloo, 

lettuce and okras. Even though tomato led 

as highest vegetable production by 18%, it 

experienced a 18% decrease in production 

when compared to production level in 

2007. Carrot production increased by 

an astounding 264% compared to 2007 

whilst exotic vegetables such as broccoli 

and cauliflower which are not indigenous 

or traditional to Grenada recorded low 

production levels. 

In 2008, the tuber and root crop subsector 

recorded a 23% increase in total production 

when compared to production levels in 

2007. Leading production performance for 

tubers and root crops for the period under 

review were sweet potatoes, yams, dasheen, 

ginger, and tannia. Sweet potato production 

increased by 36%, ginger increased by 67% 

Fruit Subsector 

Table 1: Estimated National Production of Fruits in Pounds (lbs) for 2005 -2008 

Fruits 

MNIB 

Stats. 

2005 2006 2007 2008 

NP 

Estimates 

MNIB 

Stats. 

NP 

Estimates 

MNIB 

Stats. 

NP 

Estimates 

MNIB 

Stats. 

NP 

Estimates 

Bananas (ripened) 127,746 851,640 1,280,044 8,533,627 1,124,564 7,497,093 1,011,934 6,746,227 

Cantaloupes 14,935 99,567 16,170 107,800 18,511 123,407 25,758 171,720 

Golden Apples 16,541 110,273 104,481 696,542 141,324 942,160 138,485 923,233 

Mangoes - Julie 38,533 256,887 48,864 325,760 64,680 431,200 102,413 682,754 

Oranges 27,157 181,047 42,915 286,100 36,342 242,280 51,175 341,164 

Pineapples (hybred) 5,352 35,680 6,398 42,653 6,516 43,440 4,000 26,668 

Pineapples (local) 15 100 723 4,820 327 2,180 1,326 8,843 

Plantains 14,631 97,540 72,671 484,473 62,192 414,613 40,461 269,740 

Pumpkins 22,937 152,913 29,368 195,789 30,629 204,193 40,479 269,862 

Soursops 131 873 3,232 21,545 8,870 59,132 18,913 126,087 

Watermelons 48,585 323,900 60,135 400,903 58,884 392,560 76,200 508,000 

Other Fruits 276,950 1,846,333 468,643 3,124,287 464,423 3,096,154 498,990 3,326,602 

Total Itemized 316,563 2,110,420 1,665,002 11,100,013 1,552,839 10,352,259 1,511,145 10,074,298 

Total Production 593,513 3,956,753 2,133,645 14,224,300 2,017,262 13,448,413 2,010,135 13,400,900 

* Assumption: MNIB Purchases Represent 15% of National Production 

11

Performance of Fruits, Vegetables and Root Crops Subsectors and Assessment of the Impact by Supporting 

Ministerial Divisions ...continued 

Vegetable Subsector 

Table 2: Estimated National Production of Vegetables in Pounds (lbs) for 2005 -2008 

Vegetables 

MNIB 

Stats. 

2005 2006 2007 2008 

NP 

Estimates 

MNIB 

Stats. 

NP 

Estimates 

MNIB 

Stats. 

NP 

Estimates 

MNIB 

Stats. 

NP 

Estimates 

Beets 76 507 2,226 14,838 2,812 18,747 3,439 22,924 

Broccolis 157 1,047 157 1,047 102 682 - N/A 

Cabbages 38,649 257,660 48,826 325,507 49,04S 326,973 48,045 320,300 

Callaloo 25,391 169,273 34,304 228,693 34,750 231,663 41,784 278,561 

Carrots 1,586 10,573 7,368 49,120 4,559 30,393 12,024 80,160 

Cauliflowers 2,130 14,200 3,268 21,787 6,613 44,088 7,027 46,850 

Christophines 8,039 53,593 15,629 104,195 14,824 98,827 13,807 92,046 

Cucumbers 26,049 173,660 35,759 238,394 29,340 195,599 48,353 322,353 

Lettuces 20,236 134,907 24,714 164,760 26,269 175,124 27,961 186,409 

Okras 8,760 58,397 10,333 68,889 7,454 49,692 11,770 78,465 

Pak choi 14,780 98,533 21,063 140,420 15,668 104,453 17,051 113,674 

Tomatoes 45,072 300,480 65,708 438,053 68,355 455,700 55,939 372,927 

Other Vegetables 11,321 75,476 48,190 321,264 26,324 175,491 32,722 218,145 

Total Itemized 189,339 1,262,257 261,987 1,746,583 255,232 1,701,549 275,176 1,834,508 

Total Production 200,660 1,337,733 310,177 2,067,847 281,556 1,877,040 307,898 2,052,653 

* Assumption: MNIB Purchases Represents 15% of National Production 

Tubers and Root Crops Subsector 

Table 3: Estimated National Production of Tubers and Root Crops in Pounds (lbs) for 2005 - 2008 

Tuber & Root 

Crop 

MNIB 

Stats. 

2005 2006 2007 2008 

NP 

Estimates 

MNIB 

Stats. 

NP 

Estimates 

MNIB 

Stats. 

NP 

Estimates 

MNIB 

Stats. 

NP 

Estimates 

Cassava Sweets 38 253 353 2,353 1,007 6,713 306 2,043 

Dasheens 24,547 163,647 18,649 124,327 23,014 153,427 17,271 115,140 

Eddoes 1,972 13,147 1,212 8,080 1,522 10,147 623 4,153 

Gingers 1,762 11,747 3,688 24,587 6,261 41,740 10,437 69,580 

Sweet Potatoes 30,839 205,593 41,555 277,033 24,239 161,590 38,784 258,558 

Tannias 5,627 37,513 1,980 13,200 3,951 26,340 3,951 26,340 

Yams 20,372 135,813 12,192 81,280 14,229 94,860 19,787 131,913 

Total Production 85,157 567,713 79,629 530,860 74,223 94,860 91,159 607,728 

* Assumption: MNIB Purchases Represents 15% of National Production 

12



whilst dasheen production decreased by 

25% in 2008. 

The fruit, vegetable, and tuber and root 

crop sub-sectors have been supported 

by six main divisions of the Ministry of 

Agriculture: Agronomy, Biotechnology, 

Extension, Pest and Disease Management 

and the Engineering Division. The following 

assessments of these Divisions provide a 

performance and an impact analysis on the 

various sub-sectors and also an insight on 

operations within divisions. 

Agronomy Division 

Strategic Focus 

The Agronomy Division is liable for two 

major services; the provision of planting 

materials for farmers and the provision of 

technical information to clienteles including 

the extension services. The division is also 

responsible for research and validation of 

new technologies in crop production, for 

instance, the introduction of new varieties 

and selection of outstanding indigenous 

plant types. The Division endeavours to 

support production activities in order to 

increase yield and economic returns and 

nutrition of consumers, by providing 

planting material in varieties and the 

appropriate production technologies 

that are easily adaptable to the farming 

community. It is envisioned that the 

Division would enhance farmers’ ability to 

produce adequate quantities of high quality 

products in an economically viable and 

environmentally sustainable manner pliant 

to changing market trends. 

In alignment with the mission, vision and 

priority areas of the Ministry of Agriculture, 

the Division seeks to provide adequate 

support services not only to the farming 

community but to the general public as 

well. Support was given to the Ministry’s 

Food Security Programme through the 

development of germplasm in Mirabeau 

with targeted crops such as cassava, sweet 

potatoes and corn. Cassava and sweet 

potatoes were distributed to farmers and 

rural community members at no cost. 

Operations 

The plant propagation activities of the 

Agronomy Division are conducted at 

four propagation stations; Ashenden, 

Boulogne, Maran and Mirabeau, all rural 

communities. Ashenden Propagation 

Station mainly supplies ornamentals and 

some specific fruit plants whilst Mirabeau 

Propagation Station supplies mainly fruits, 

and staples such as corn, yam, cassava and 

sweet potatoes. 

In recent years, the demand for planting 

materials has increased drastically, as a result 

of the enormous demand created following 

the widespread destruction caused by 

Hurricanes Ivan and Emily on plant crops 

on the island. This trend of high demand for 

planting materials persisted in 2008. A total 

of 23,826 plants were distributed. Whilst 

the system to monitor the quantity of plant 

production is adequate and accurate, the 

actual yield of plants distributed in 2008 

was uncertain. This has been the case due to 

inefficient monitoring systems. It has been 

observed, however, that the survival rate of 

plants propagated was extremely poor. Onsite 

visits to selected farms by Agronomists 

detected that the failure of plants can be 

partially attributed to inadequate plant 

care possibly due to the highly subsidized 

prices that farmers benefits from. Subsidies 

incorporated in the prices of planting 

materials results in prices of EC$5 or less. 

Based on historical data, the general 

perception on demand can be derived, 

however, the information system installed 

to inform production targets was flawed. 

Farmers request forms were submitted long 

after planning periods which misinformed 

the propagation system since allotted 

gestation periods were necessary for 

many fruit plants. The Division resorted 

to guestimates in lieu of the inadequate 

information system. Also, there was a need 

for unwavering working relationships with 

farmers since critical information such 

as the readiness of the farms for planting 

must be known prior to distribution. 

The survivability of propagated planting 

materials was dependent on this kind of 

critical information. 

Table 4: Plantlet Production & Distribution Figures 2004 - 2008 

Plants 

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 

Prod. Dist. Prod. Dist. Prod. Dist. Prod. Dist. Prod Dist 

Citrus 8,186 4,429 6,939 9,420 9,328 6,283 12,369 6,243 12,189 8,236 

Mangoes 397 1,793 - 1,262 589 166 949 1,561 3,162 3,054 

Minor Fruits 

& Spices 

8,410 7,298 5,134 4,094 8,329 6,334 4,812 9,718 8,173 8,169 

Ornamentals 838 1,064 1,577 1,113 4,272 3,769 4,395 4,187 7,324 4,357 

Totals 21,131 14,584 13,650 15,889 22,518 16,552 22,222 21,709 30,848 23,816 

13



As it relates to operational activities, the 

Division’s main problems were rooted in 

insufficient research activities. Although 

applied research was undertaken, scientific 

research which encourages innovation and 

problem solving cannot be readily engaged 

due to the absence of necessary facilities. 

Over the years, the Division became overly 

dependent on the resources of CARDI 

for research especially in the areas of fruit 

production, dwarf golden apples, and 

selection work with selected local fruits. 

Unfortunately, the limited resources 

of CARDI have proven to be an 

impediment. While pre- 

Ivan periods reflected a 

number of applied 

research, post Ivan 

periods revealed 

a deliberation on 

rehabilitation efforts. 

Another major problem 

which restricted 

research activities was 

the inadequate cadre of 

functioning agronomists. 

Though qualified agronomists 

were available in the Ministry, some were not 

functioning in the capacity. Nonetheless, 

the situation was considered and rectified. 

Human Resource Capacity 

The Agronomy Division employed fifty-six 

(56) staff members inclusive of three (3) 

agronomists and thirty-six (36) agriculture 

workers. Propagation and Technical 

Specialists require academic training in 

plant science and years of practical exposure 

in the field and research/propagation 

stations. Propagation subdivision consists 

of extremely skilled technicians; however, 

the prerequisite qualifications necessary 

for further capacity building were not 

achieved. This has become a major 

impediment to productivity at the stations 

since technicians were poorly rewarded and 

became exceedingly unmotivated. In 2008, 

training was available to Agronomists and 

Agriculture Instructors in the area of project 

preparation, use of colour traps in the 

management of pests, event planning and 

a seminar on climate change and biofuel. 

Propagation Attendants and Agronomist 

also attended training in the use of 

irrigation technology. Most Agronomists 

have a foundational background in research, 

however, additional training is needed in 

research and design analysis. 

Any deficiency in production, not based 

on targets but demand, can be directly 

attributed to numerous 

other challenges including, inadequate 

transportation facilities, limited avenues 

for soil sourcing, insufficient supply of 

organic (pen) manure and semi-recuperated 

germplasm from which a greater demand 

of plants was imposed. Another setback is 

the annual high demand for citrus plants 

which was not based on market potential 

rather farmers instincts. Farmers with 

established orchards have been indicating 

that there were inadequate markets for 

citrus products. However, the demand for 

citrus continues to be soaring. There was an 

apparent need for market information to 

inform propagation, and the dissemination 

of market sensitive information to farmers 

to encourage sound decision making. 

Despite the many challenges and limited 

resources, the human resource capacity 

facilitated the division in achieving numerous 

successes for the year 2008. Performance 

indicators which were tied into production 

revealed that the Division was successful 

in attaining its targeted production for the 

year 2008. Some measurable achievements 

includes: the distribution of 2 ½ acres of 

sweet potatoes were planted and 18,125 

pieces of sweet potato cuttings were given 

to farmers, 2869 1bs of yam plants and 786 

lbs of dry peas were sold, 1 ¼ acres 

of cassava were planted and 

500 pieces of cuttings were 

distributed. 


Knowledge 

Impartation 

The provision of 

technical information 

to farmers as one of the 

primary functions of 

the Agronomy Division 

can be realized through 

hands on training sessions 

with farmers. However, no 

such training occurred in 2008. 

Nonetheless, the Division continued 

to disseminate information through fact 

sheets (tech packs) to clients and as a back 

up to extension services, participated in farm 

visits to selected farmers (predominantly 

commercial farmers) to provide one-onone 

guidance on plant care. The Division 

acknowledged gaps in some of the tech 

packs distributed, an indication of the 

effects of climate changes on agriculture 

in Grenada. Tech packs are being modified 

to reflect the changes in plant growth and 

development cycles. 

Inter-Ministry Activity 

Integration 

The Agronomy Division works very closely 

with the Extension Division. The Division 

conveyed information to the Extension 

Division such as new technologies and a 

list of recipients of planting materials with 

the expectation that the information would 

14



be transferred to farmers. The support 

from the Extension services as it relates to 

monitoring and follow up on issues such 

as plant survivability in the past year was 

unsatisfactory. Inadequate support services 

from the extensionists may have been due 

to the limited manpower in that Division. 

The absence of a Chief Technical Officer to 

coordinate such collaborative activities may 

also be part of the problem. The Agronomy 

Division also collaborates extensively with 

the Pest Management Unit whenever pest 

and diseases were encountered on farm 

visits. 

Projects for Future Development 

The Division anticipates development 

in the future specifically for research. In 

order to support the Ministry’s attempts 

to diversify Grenada’s agriculture, there is 

a need for improvement in germplasm to 

meet new demands. Priority must also be 

given to training especially in research and 

development. Additionally, a strategy for 

improving the knowledge of Agriculture 

workers that can be recognized by pay 

systems should be considered. Flexibility in 

assessment for these workers must also be 

explored. The Division should be upgraded 

with information systems that support 

informed and accurate decision making 

and planning. 

Biotechnology Division 


The strategic goal of the Biotechnology 

Division is to develop the capability of 

the Ministry of Agriculture to implement 

its policy of diversifying the agriculture 

sector through the provision of high quality 

planting materials to farming enterprises. 

The Division propagates plants using biotechnology 

methods and techniques. These 

scientific techniques improve the quality, 

quantity and variety range of germplasmic 

materials. It is expected that these activities 

would promote an economically and 

environmentally sustainable agriculture 

sector. The Biotechnology Unit’s main 

function is to propagate and distribute 

tissue culture plantlets and commodity 

crops devoid of pest and diseases. 

In 2008, the Unit supported five of the 

Ministry’s programmes and key stakeholders; 

Banana and Plantain Programme, the Food 

Security Programme, Commercial Food 

Crop Farmers, Commodity Crop Farmers 

and the Agro-forestry Development. Under 

the Food Security Programme, tissue culture 

plants were provided for bananas, plantains, 

pineapples, tannias and the once prominent 

rural commodity, nutmegs. The activities of 

the Biotechnology Unit has been subsidized 

and supported by the French Mission in the 

sum of €5,000,000, Caribbean Agriculture 

Research Development Institute (CARDI) 

in the form of personnel and Inter- 

American Institute for Cooperation in 

Agriculture (IICA) in the form of exchange 

programmes which facilitated knowledge 

and technology transfer. 

Operations 

The tissue culture plant propagation 

activities were conducted mainly in the 

Biotechnology Laboratory located in urban 

St. George’s area. Plantlets were transported 

to acclimatizing stations in Ashenden 

and Maran pending distribution. The 

Biotechnology Division exerted efforts to 

further diversify the varieties of planting 

materials and also attempted to optimize 

plants propagation to effectively and 

efficiently satisfy the increase demands by 

stakeholders. Taking into consideration the 

limited space and resource capacity of the 

Biotechnology Laboratory, a significant 

number of tissue culture plants were 

imported. It was estimated that, in 2008 

ninety-five per cent (95%) of the farmers 

used tissue cultured plants. Nonetheless, 

there was a substantial increase in plant 

production in response to increase demand. 

The production super exceeded pre-Ivan 

periods twofold. 

Increase in production can be attributed 

to the introduction of a new laboratory 

technology which allowed fifty (50) plants 

to be cultured in one flask where as in the 

past, the technology permitted only six (6) 

Table 5: Purchase of Tissue Culture Plantlets 2005-2008 

Plantlets 

Purchased 

2005 2006 2007 2008 

Bananas 3,991 34,763 100,572 65,555 

*42,316 *10,315 *17,428 *19,445 

Total Bananas 46,307 45,078 118,000 85,000 

Pineapples N/A 1,240 907 20,000 

Tannias N/A 7,932 3,343 45,000 

* Under the Free Trade initiative to revitalize the Banana Industry in Grenada plantlets were distributed on a complimentary basis to 

farmers. 

15



Table 6: Tissue Culture Plantlets Production 2005-2008 

Tissue Culture 

Plants 

plants at once. This system has allowed the 

laboratory to increase production from 

10,000 plants per annum to a minimum 

of 30,000 plants per annum. Tissue culture 

plant survival rate was estimated at ninety 

percent (90%). Despite this seemingly 

success in production, the potential to further 

increase production was seriously hindered 

because of the limited space capacity at 

the laboratory. Levels of contamination in 

lab activities were extremely high since the 

laboratory has been accommodated in the 

downstairs of a building. Additionally, the 

laboratory space was designed to occupy 

only five (5) employees, however, there are 

ten (10) technicians. The facility was also 

considered a health hazard by the Public 

Service Union and a request was made for 

the facility to be abandoned. The Ministry 

anticipates the construction of a new facility 

by the Chinese Agricultural Mission. 

In addition to limitations with the 

laboratory, another major limitation to 

productivity is the lack of research activities 

in 2008. Research and Development 

especially for this Division is necessary for 

the creation of varieties and innovation in 

propagation activities. The wherewithal for 

research activities such as information and 

technology was also unavailable. 

Distribution of plants also had its limitation 

over the years. Whilst the system would 

have facilitated island-wide distribution, 

its efficiency can be questioned since access 

to plants was not devoid of problems. In 

2006 2007 2008 

Bananas N/A 300 1560 

Orchids N/A 150 180 

Pineapples N/A 1750 N/A 

Plantains N/A 740 N/A 

Tannias 1400 3020 1712 

2008 farmers from St. David (Eastern 

District) were faced with the inconvenience 

of traveling to Maran (Western District) for 

planting materials. 


Senior Technicians in the Biotechnology 

Division are expected to possess competence 

in biology and chemistry as it relates to 

plant science whilst laboratory technician 

propagation attendants should possess at 

least basic academic knowledge in plant 

science. Unfortunately, many technicians 

do not possess such skills. There is therefore 

a need to strengthen human resource 

capacity to meet the changing demands of 

the agriculture service environment. Whilst 

some staff would have mastered the skills 

in plant proliferation, there was need for 

the application of scientific knowledge in 

propagation and research activities. Greater 

competency in cloning (plant breeding), and 

propagation ought to be pursued. The main 

challenge as it relates to human capacity 

lies in the need for staff to understand the 

technology and certain basic principles and 

techniques such as adaptation which should 

be applied in the given line of work. In the 

year 2008, a few technicians were trained 

in general biotechnology in Beijing, China. 

Much more extensive training would be 

required to improve efficiencies in plant 

production, quality and also versatility. 

In spite of the shortcomings with human 

resource capacity, production targets for 

2008 were accomplished. 

Agriculture Knowledge 

Impartation 

The biotechnology unit utilized the 

Communication Department at the 

Ministry to transfer information to 

clients. During the periods of distribution, 

instruction brochures were provided to 

clients together with other communication 

strategies such as media releases. Training 

for farmers was considered responsibility 

of the Agronomy Division. However, 

together with the Extension Services, the 

Senior Biotechnologist visited commercial 

farmers to facilitate monitoring. Prescribed 

practices for survivability of plants were 

generally adhered to by farmers. The rate 

of compliance to practices prescribed was 

estimated at five out of ten (5/10). It was 

observed that farmers were of the opinion 

that plants provided by the Division were 

resistant to disease. While the tissue culture 

plantlets were cultured freed from pest 

and diseases, plants distributed were not 

resistant to pest and diseases. 


Integration 

Collaborative work during the year 2008 

existed between the Extension Division 

and the Pest Management Unit. The 

Extension Division was provided with a 

list of commercial farmers to ensure that 

technical services can be easily accessible 

to these farmers. The Biotechnology Unit 

in cooperation with the Pest Management 

Unit conducted two experimental trials in 

three water sheds with imported banana 

plants that are resistant to the black 

sigatoka (Mycosphaerella fijiensis) disease. 

Both divisions monitored the progress of 

those plants to inform future decisions 

and planning. Greater emphasis on activity 

integration would be needed in future, 

particularly, in the area of convening 

workshops that would facilitate agricultural 

knowledge and techniques to producers. 

Attendance to workshops should become 

a precondition for receiving subsidized 

plants and should occur prior to plant 

16



distribution. 


Future progress for the Biotechnology 

Division is highly dependent on speedy 

redress to many of the challenges faced. In 

order for the division to significantly support 

agriculture diversification in Grenada, there 

is a need for the construction of a new 

and modernized laboratory and improved 

facilities at Maran and Boulongue. Training 

and research and development should be a 

priority. It should be noted that a research 

desk was launched in the latter months of 

the reviewed year. 

Extension Division 


The Extension Division seeks to disseminate 

technical advice and guidance to the 

farming community enabling high quality 

food production which would increase 

competitiveness and profitability for farmers. 

Ultimately, the main goal is to enable farmers 

to make informed decisions and eventually 

increase the output with a consequential 

increase in stakeholders’ standard of living. 

Although the key functions of the Division 

are to provide technical support, marketing 

and production information to farmers, the 

activities of the Division are multifaceted. 

The Division has been spearheading various 

activities at the Ministry including World 

Food Day Celebrations and the Food 

Security Programme. 

In collaboration with the Food Security 

Coordinator, the Division implemented 

supporting activities including the 

procurement and distribution of seeds and 

other planting materials and agriculture 

implements both to home gardeners and 

resource poor commercials farmers. Under 

the Ministry’s Food Security Programme, 

planting materials and seeds for specific 

produce were distributed: corn, pigeon 

peas, beans, beets, carrots, sorrel, okras, 

yams and ginger. 

The implementation of the Food Security 

Programme in 2008 stimulated production 

of staples mainly corn, yams and pigeon 

peas. The programme and other activities 

at the Ministry resulted in marginal 

contribution to rural employment, increase 

wealth of farmers who were able to improve 

their dwelling houses while some purchased 

farm vehicles. 

The Extension Division also implemented 

two externally funded projects by the FAO; 

the Disaster Mitigation Project conducted 

with farmers at Mirabeau and the Integrated 

Pest Management in Vegetables Project. 

Operations 

The implementation of extension service 

activities for the year 2008 was driven by 

governments’ policies to rehabilitate the 

agriculture sector. Agriculture production 

in 2008 far exceeded that of previous 

years possibly because of the impact of the 

Food Security Programme, the Agriculture 

Enterprise Development Programme; 

which provided assistance in the form of 

loans to three hundred and eighty-nine 

(389) farmers in the sum of $7.2 million 

and the increase access and use of irrigation 

technology which served vegetable and food 

crop production nearly year round. 

Evidently, in 2008, Grenada’s Agriculture 

faced many challenges including higher 

than normal temperatures, excessive 

precipitation, and economic hardship as 

a result of high cost of inputs as a result 

reduced income of farmers. Many farmers 

battled with intractable problems such as 

insufficient markets, unproductive labour 

resources, astronomical cost of inputs and 

praedial larceny. A number commercial 

farmers have exited the industry to pursue 

more lucrative business ventures. 

Information on production was captured 

mostly from commercial and semicommercial 

farmers. Consequently, the 

Extension Division was able to provide 

some guidance on periods of shortage of 

some produce, also estimated figures on 

quantities of production based on sample 

figures from selected farmers visited was also 

conducted. However, the actual production 

figures of specific crops for the year 2008 

were unavailable. It is therefore a necessity 

to implement an enhanced information 

system which would capture real output 

data. In addition to the foregoing 

shortcomings, statistics captured by the 

Extension Division for the year was by no 

means analyzed to provide stakeholders 

with critical market sensitive data. 


Extension Officers are expected to 

be extremely knowledgeable of crop 

production practices, new technologies, 

new produce varieties, pest and diseases 

and also equipped with general sectorrelated 

knowledge including marketing 

information. The Division operates with 

ten (10) frontline officers with responsibility 

for the four agriculture districts, (Northern, 

Southern, Western and Eastern District). 

Recent census by the department identified 

10,000 farmers island wide, therefore the 

ratio of an Extension Officers to farmers 

1:1000. This justifies the officers’ approach 

in recent years to monitor and evaluate 

production of only selected, mostly 

commercial farmers. However, in recent 

years, the Extension Division received 

assistance from seventy-eight (78) Extension 

Trainees; twenty-two (22) in the Northern 

District, fifteen (15) in the Southern 

District, seventeen (17) in the Eastern 

District and fourteen (14) in the Western 

District. Trainees performed data collection 

and seed and plant material distribution 

and monitoring services to farmers since 

full competence in provided technical 

support were inadequate. The Chinese 

Agricultural Mission in collaboration with 

the Livestock Division conducted training 

sessions aimed at improving the technical 

support competency of extension trainees. 

The training areas covered were; 

17



• Hot Pepper Production 

• Sheep, Goat and Pig Production and 

Management 

• Farm Record Keeping 

• Bee Production and Management 

• Soil-less Culture 

• Composting and Organic Farming 

• Budding, Grafting and Pruning 

• Floral Arrangements 

• Papaya Production 

Besides the impracticable ratio of 

competent Extension Officers available 

to farmers, numerous other problems 

affected the efficient performance of the 

Extension Division in the year 2008. Some 

of these problems include: limited access to 

transportation and the insufficient travel 

allowance for extension officers and an 

inapt mileage claim system, together with 

inflexible working hours of officers 8a.m. 

to 4p.m. contrary to that of most farmers. 

Another limitation to the performance of 

the Extension Division over the years as it 

relates to building human resource capacity 

was the predisposition of Extension 

Service Officers not to exploit long-term 

opportunity for training. While several 

officers received training in China on 

relevant subject matters, opportunities for 

long-term training abroad were forfeited 

because of commitments such as families 

and mortgages of Officers. Nonetheless, 

in 2008, several training sessions were 

organized to increase staff capacity in the 

areas of; 

• Agri-business Management 

• Shade House Management 

• Integrated Pest Management 

• New and Improved Varieties, Nutrient 

Hormones and Technologies, 

• Animal Health and Production 

• Vegetable Production 

• Project Appraisal 

• Agriculture Credit 

• New and Invasive Pest and Diseases 

• Cocoa Production 

• Floriculture 

Training needed for further capacity 

improvement are GPS, new technologies 

for all crops, irrigation technology and 

information technology. The Division’s 

capacity to provide adequate technical 

support to farmers was fatally hindered due 

to the increased activities in the distribution 

of agriculture inputs for the year. 


Impartation 

Over the years the Extension Division 

employed a number of different strategies 

and approaches to convey agricultural 

knowledge to key stakeholders. The most 

common approach used was the one-toone 

demonstration to farmers. Another key 

strategy used was training. Farmers received 

training in the past year in: rodent control, 

new techniques in vegetable production, 

integrated pest management, field training 

on new plant nutrients, home gardening, 

irrigation and drainage, record keeping, 

treffolon technology in carrot production, 

developing farm plans, soil observation, 

field sanitation and management, use of 

appropriate pesticides and bamboo shadehouse 

technology. The Division has 

been strategically reaching out to farmers 

groups to optimize on quantity and 

quality of information transfer and shared 

among farmers. The Division worked in 

close collaboration with the North East 

Farmers Group, Mt. Rich/Mt.Reuil Carrot 

Growers, CABA, GRENROP, Northern 

Cassava Growers Group, GAFY, St. John’s 

Farmers Association and La Digue Farmers 

Association. 

Other approaches used to impart 

knowledge to farmers were the distribution 

of brochures, flyers and media presentation. 

The compliance rate to agriculture practices 

prescribed by Division was rated 4/10. It 

was observed that farmers’ age has become 

a major barrier to the successful adoption 

of new technologies. Younger farmers were 

the pioneers of new technologies taught. 

However, in order to encourage compliance 

in the future more methods and results 

demonstration plots should be prepared. 

Additionally, the successes and impact of 

farmers using new technologies should be 

highlighted. 


Integration 

The Extension Division collaborated 

closely with the Planning Unit, Veterinary 

and Livestock Division, Grenada Cocoa 

Association, Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg 

Association, and the Marketing and 

National Importing Board to facilitate 

the collection of production information. 

Routinely, the Division joined forces with 

the Agronomy Division, Pest Management 

Unit and Livestock Division. In addition to 

the Ministry’s Management Team meetings, 

the Division convened weekly meetings 

with its senior Extension Officers and 

other collaborating institutions to facilitate 

efficient planning. 


The major impeding factors necessary 

to stimulating agriculture production 

in Grenada are attractive prices for 

commodities and market accessibility. 

As it relates to the mandate of Extension 

Division, projects that are needed to support 

agriculture development are soil and water 

management, further technical support 

training for Extension Service Officers and 

Trainees, demonstration plots showcasing 

18

Performance of Fruits, Vegetables and Root Crop Subsectors and Assessment of the Impact by Supporting 


the use of new technologies and support 

from the research divisions. 

Pest Management Unit 


The Pest Management Unit positioned itself 

to be the leading institution that executes 

integrated management of crop pests in 

Grenada. The Unit is constantly applying 

all pest (and disease) management methods 

to prevent or mitigate the introduction of 

exotic pests to the island. Precautionary 

attempts are also made to facilitate the 

implementation of economically 

viable, technically sound 

and environmentally 

friendly courses 

of action for the 

management of 

indigenous pests 

in Grenada. 

In 2008, 

the strategic 

objectives of the 

Unit proposed 

to achieve the 

following: suppress the 

spread of Moko (Ralstonia 

solanacearum) and Black Sigatoka 

(Mycosphaerella fijiensis) diseases 

in the Musa species (banana family) 

whilst maintaining Yellow Banana 

Leaf Spot disease below the economic 

threshold level, reduce the population and 

damage caused by the Red Palm Mite, 

reduce economic losses caused by rodents, 

significantly reduce the adult population 

of the West Indian Fruit Fly pest in order 

to resume fresh fruit export to the United 

States market and improve the quality of 

plant protection and quarantine services 

offered. 

The Pest Management Unit has been 

extremely instrumental in preserving the 

livelihoods of many people in rural farming 

communities because of its efficacious 

management of noxious pests and diseases 

which, if otherwise left unattended, would 

have made farming almost impossible. Most 

pest management programmes during the 

year under review focused on the cultivation 

of economic crops cultivated in the rural 

areas. 

Over the years, some farmers (especially those 

cultivating bananas) incurred substantial 

crop losses because of the rapid spread of 

Moko, Yellow and Black Sigatoka diseases. 

In some cases there were almost complete 

crop failure while in more drastic situations 

some farmers had to abandon their farms. 

It is instructive to note, that Moko disease 

was first observed on the island in 1978 

and has been cited as one of the principal 

contributing factors in the decline of 

the banana sub sector in Grenada. 

The disease is extremely virulent 

and affected areas have to be left 

abandoned 

for a 

period of two 

years prior to 

replanting of the 

crop. The disease is 

exceedingly expensive to control as it is 

spread by insects, contaminated planting 

materials, tools and drainage water. 

One of the strategies adapted by the 

Ministry of Agriculture to control this 

dreadful disease is to make available to 

farmers clean and healthy tissue cultured 

planting materials. Additionally, the 

Pest Management Unit employs a Moko 

Eradication Team that provides technical 

support to farmers in identifying and 

destroying diseased mats as well as providing 

some prophylactic measures to prevent the 

spread of the disease. 

The year 2008 marked the implementation 

of proactive strategies to prevent further 

economic losses to farmers. The production 

of banana is critical to Food Security in 

Grenada since the crop continues to be a 

major staple in the Grenadian food basket. 

The last time bananas were exported to the 

UK, i.e. through the Windward Islands 

Banana Development and Exporting 

Company (WIBDECO) was, September 6, 

the day before the passage of Hurricane Ivan 

in 2004. Since then, the focus in Grenada 

as far as banana production is concerned 

is for local consumption and for regional 

export (especially the Trinidad Market). 

Since the dismantling of the European 

Banana regime, small exporting states as 

those in the Windward Islands have had 

enormous difficulties in maintaining their 

market share in the UK because of 

stiff competition from efficient 

producers especially the dollar 

producers in Latin American. 

The Pest Management 

Unit upholds its mandate 

to prevent the introduction 

of pest through quarantine 

surveillance at ports of entry and 

throughout the island. In addition, 

the Pest Management Unit facilitates 

the integrated management of crop pests 

to ensure that their population and damage 

remain below economic threshold levels. 

As the contact point for the International 

Plant Protection Convention, strict 

actions are enforced to prevent entry and 

dissemination of exotic and local pests and 

diseases to neighboring states. 

Operations 

The operations of the Pest Management 

Unit for the year under review were 

conducted island wide. Services were 

solicited from all agricultural districts 

including Carriacou and Petite Martinique. 

The Unit basically undertakes eight (8) 

principal functions which are: execution 

of risk analysis on imports, inspection of 

19



plants and animal imports, certification 

of exports, supervision of treatments of 

plant products for plant pests, island 

wide surveillance for pests, inspection of 

agricultural products and carriers entering 

Grenada and the identification of pests at 

the Unit’s diagnostic laboratory. 

In 2008, the Unit employed proactive 

and offensive strategies (rather than 

reactive strategies used in previous years) 

to combat and prevent economic losses 

caused by pests in Grenada. Five projects 

were implemented: Banana Pest Control, 

Rodent Control, Fruit Fly Eradication, Red 

Palm Mite Control and the Strengthening 

of Quarantine Services. All the projects 

were implemented simultaneously within 

the Unit with core staff designated to 

specific tasks. 

The explicit goal of the Banana Pest 

Control Project is to reduce the incidence 

and severity of the Black Sigatoka disease 

below the economic threshold and curtails 

the spread of the Moko disease especially 

to areas that have not been affected in 

the past. Operating activities for the year 

included weekly collection and analysis 

of data relating to the dynamics of the 

Black Sigatoka Disease, spraying and 

field inspections. Black Sigatoka was first 

identified in Windsor, St. Andrew in 2005 

and later it spreaded to adjacent banana 

producing areas such as Belvidere, Florida 

and Clozier. The measurable success of the 

Banana Pest Control Project implemented 

in 2008 was an overall decline in the spread 

of Banana diseases throughout the length 

and breadth of the island. 

The Rodent Control Project was geared 

towards the implementation of a 

participatory approach intended to achieve 

drastic reduction in the rodent population 

in Grenada. The main implementation 

activities included: an assessment of the 

rodent population and the installation 

of baits and baiting stations island-wide 

including Carriacou. This project resulted in 

a 40% reduction of the rodent population. 

Although the export trade of locally 

produced fruits to the US market was not 

achieved, a significant decline in the Fruit 

Fly population which was approximated 

to be 10 times lower than the population 

in 2003. Since the discovery of the West 

Indian Fruit Fly in 2002, Grenada’s export 

trade of fresh fruits suffered drastic decline 

in the export of June Plum, Golden 

Apple and Yellow and Red Plums resulted 

in significant foreign exchange losses 

approximately EC$2.5 million per annum. 

The Golden Apple market once earned 

export income of approximately EC$ 2 

million per annum. The implementation 

of the Fruit fly Eradication Project received 

very strong commendations from the Food 

and Agriculture Organization. The Project 

involved the placement of bait stations at 

all sites known to be affected by fruit flies, 

the release of parasitoids, distribution of 

protein baits on a tri-weekly basis and the 

rearing and release of fruit fly parasitoids, 

all in effort to eliminate this noxious pest. 

The last phase (parasitoids) has not yet been 

implemented. 

In an attempt to improve the quality of Plant 

Protection and Quarantine services offered 

in the Tri Island State and to minimize the 

entry of prohibited agricultural products and 

pests, the Unit embarked upon a strategy 

of Strengthening Quarantine Services 

in Grenada and Carriacou. This project 

required a number of training activities for 

members of staff. Unfortunately, the level 

of training needs for the absolute success 

of this project was not executed. Despite 

the shortcomings, standard operating 

procedures prevailed which resulted in the 

confiscation of over 300 lbs of fruits and 

vegetables imported from neighboring 

islands, specifically, Trinidad and Tobago 

and Guyana. A number of pests were also 

intercepted. 

The Pest Management Unit encountered 

numerous challenges which significantly 

impeded the execution of effective services. 

Some of those challenges identified were: 

the slow processing of claims for products 

procured from suppliers, inappropriate 

government bureaucracy to acquire supplies, 

difficulties in expanding workforce, 

inadequate transportation access for officers 

to carry out day to day duties, insufficient 

storage space for equipment and field 

supplies, ineffective systems to capture crop 

production and accurate import data and 

analysis and limited training opportunities 

for staff. Despite these shortcomings, 

the Unit acknowledged its impact which 

resulted in an increase in agriculture 

produce for the period (eggs, poultry, meat, 

vegetables, staples and fruits), improvement 

in the quality of products (less incidence of 

sooty mold disease for example), increase 

in farmers disposable income and a notable 

improvement in some stakeholders’ 

confidence in the Ministry of Agriculture as 

far as the delivery of effective services are 

concerned. 


The Unit deploys Plant Quarantine/ 

Protection Officers in all Agriculture 

Districts thereby providing services to 

approximately 3000 farmers island-wide. 

Two officers are assigned to the Eastern 

District which contains some of the largest 

farming communities on the island and 

which is nicknamed the `breadbasket’ of 

Grenada. 

Field officers are expected to possess 

competencies in the operations of plant and 

quarantine systems, diagnostic capabilities 

of crops, pests and diseases, etc. It is also 

expected that these officers should possess 

some basic knowledge of the legal aspects 

of plant quarantine. Unfortunately, most 

officers possess a diploma in Agriculture 

and few opportunities have been made 

available for them to upgrade their skills 

and training. 

Core actions that are necessary to improve 

and strengthen staff capacity include 

recruitment and training of existing staff. 

There has been no structured or specialized 

training for staff during the past ten (10) 

20



years. The critical areas where training 

has become a necessity for staff are: Plant 

Protection and Quarantine, Pest and 

Disease Diagnosis, Quarantine Treatment 

Methods, World Trade Organisation’s 

Sanitary and Phyto Sanitary Measures, 

the International Plant Protection 

Convention and other legal instruments 

to which Grenada is signatory. The Unit 

anticipates facilitating more direct contact 

with producers and rapid response to the 

complaints of farmers, however, the limited 

quantity of staff capacity has prevented the 

fulfillment of these objectives. Recruitment 

has been a difficult process as a consequence 

of financial constraints. Pest Management 

services provided by Field Officers have 

also been adversely affected by some factors 

including low morale and limited traveling 

(mileage) allowance. 


Impartation 

Integrated Pest Management was promoted 

by the Unit instead of heavy reliance on 

the use of chemical pesticides. The Unit 

conveyed pest management knowledge 

to farmers and key stakeholders mainly 

through the facilitation of field sessions and 

the use of private and electronic media. To 

ensure that farmers complied with practices 

prescribed, procedures were demonstrated 

to them in the fields and in some cases, 

officers worked along with farmers on 

their farms. The Unit also did important 

monitoring and loaning of equipment in 

a few cases. Overall compliance rate was 

about 50 %. 


Integration 

The Pest Management Unit collaborates 

extensively with the Extension and 

Agronomy Divisions in all districts and has 

been actively involved in the supervision of 

nurseries. The Unit also integrates many of 

its operations relating to rodent control with 

the Ministry of Health. It was anticipated 

that enhanced collaboration with local 

agencies, for instance, other departments 

within the Ministry (Extension, Agronomy, 

and Forestry), Customs and Port Authority 

would permit the Division to better exploit 

opportunities necessary to thoroughly fulfill 

the mandate of the Unit. 

The Unit can also improve its operations 

by conducting research activities in 

collaboration with regional and international 

agencies and soliciting funding from donor 

agencies through the preparation and 

submission of pivotal projects. 


The fulfillment of the strategic objective 

of the Pest Management Unit needs to be 

expedited in order to re-establish export 

trade of many agricultural products. Effective 

operations of this Unit undoubtedly impacts 

on sustainable livelihoods of rural people 

and by extension, rural development and the 

improvement of the national economy on 

a whole. The intervention of international 

donors and allied organizations is imperative 

to enhance Grenada’s export capabilities 

and perhaps, repositioning the island to 

capitalize on many potential opportunities 

in the lucrative export market. 

In addition to urgent training needs of 

officers and the considerable investment 

in human resource capacity building that 

needs to be prioritized, the implementation 

of some essential Pest and Disease 

Management Projects that would radically 

benefit agriculture production in Grenada 

are: Fruit Fly eradication projects which 

should be incorporated with biological and 

Sterile Insect Technique, National Fruit Tree 

Projects to facilitate the improved quality 

and quantity of fruits, National Rodent and 

Mongoose Pest Management, and in light 

of the high priority given to the National 

Food Security Programme, implementation 

of National Banana Pest Control Projects 

would be crucially needed. 

Engineering Division 


The Engineering Division is sub-divided 

into the Land Use, Soil Lab, Irrigation Unit 

and the Farm Machinery Pool and Garage 

Unit. Both units ensure the efficient use 

and management of technology that 

would contribute to sustainable agriculture 

development. 

Essentially, the Farm Machinery Pool and 

Garage Units work toward the provision 

of services in land preparation to farmers 

at a highly subsidized cost. Conversely, 

the Land Use, Soil Lab and Irrigation Unit 

have a broader work scope which seek to 

provide reliable information and services 

on natural resources, agro-meteorology 

and irrigation management practices. 

This Unit envisions being the principal 

provider of land information services that 

can be used to manage the environment 

sustainably. Ultimately, the Land Use, Soil 

Lab and Irrigation Unit, attempt to provide 

information and services that would 

encourage the sustainable use of land. 

The work plan activities in 2008 reflected 

the urgent need to revitalize and increase 

agriculture production in Grenada. Land 

clearance and the installation of irrigation 

systems took preeminence in the Division. 

Irrigation agriculture in Grenada in the 

pass has been grossly underdeveloped. 

Considering the classification of Grenada’s 

climate, semi-tropical nature, which is 

officially marked by a dry season from 

January to May and wet season from June 

to December (though often fluctuates), the 

need for irrigation technology to combat 

inconsistencies in agriculture production 

became an imperative. 

Following a thorough feasibility study in 

2002, under the European Union SFA99 

and 2000, the Irrigation Management Unit 

(IMU) was set up. In 2008 the Division 

received financial support in excess of EC$1 

million. In expedition towards stimulating 

agriculture development, agriculture 

21



diversification and achieving national food 

security, the GREP received support from 

IMU to conduct irrigation assessment and 

design for twenty (20) farms for the La 

Portrie Farmers Cooperative and also for 

five (5) acres of farm lands in La Fortune 

St. Patrick. The Land Use Division also 

received benefits by coordinating the 

Grenada Chapter of the CARIWIN which 

advocated the installation of a Water Level 

Recorded and Automatic Rain Gauge on 

the Great River at Birch Grove to monitor 

river flow. 

The Irrigation Project increased agriculture 

production significantly in 2008. The 

overwhelming evidence was in the year’s 

vegetable production, as fresh vegetables 

were consistently available on the local 

market. The introduction of irrigation 

technology in rural areas did not only 

promote agriculture development in terms 

of production but it also impacted on the 

livelihoods of the farming communities with 

farmers moving from a state of poverty to 

income earning. The magnitude of benefits 

can be attributed to the business concept 

which was designed as a revolving fund 

and loan scheme for farmers. Farmers were 

allowed to make a down payment of only 

20% of the total cost of irrigation system 

inclusive of installation cost. As the systems 

were consigned, the outstanding cost was 

then converted to a soft loan with a low 

interest rate. Monies from loan payment 

were reimbursed into the fund to provide 

some assistance to other farmers. Access to 

this type of credit facility has lured farmers’ 

interest in the much needed irrigation 

technology which would otherwise be 

extremely expensive and laden with a high 

installation cost. 

Operations 

The Farm Machinery Pool and Garage Unit 

have been operating from the rural area of 

Mirabeau with eight (8) tractors (including 

four 4 rotovators and three (3) ridgers). 

The Unit has provided services for over 

160 farmers in 2008 specifically in the area 

of plowing, rotovating and ridging. The 

Machinery Pool and Garage Unit was not 

able to meet the demands of the farming 

community of the services already provided 

and also additional services especially land 

clearing. The inability of the Unit to provide 

services demanded can be attributed to 

inadequate machinery also inapt machinery 

which would be ideal for the topography 

in Grenada. Escalating cost of labour 

resulted in an increase in the demand for 

land preparation services together with the 

heightened demand for farmers to recover 

inaccessible agricultural lands since the 

devastating impacts of Hurricanes Ivan and 

Emily. 

The operations of the Land Use, Soil Lab 

and Irrigation Unit should be guided by 

four key functions which are: 

• Irrigation Management; to supply 

equipment and technical information 

for the establishment and management 

of irrigation systems. 

• Land Suitability Assessment: to 

Table 7: Number of Farmers Receiving Assistance under the Irrigation 

Programme by Agriculture District for the Year 2008 

Agriculture Districts 

No. of Farmers 

Northern District ( St. Patrick) 18 

Southern District ( St. George & St. 

David) 

20 

Eastern District ( St. Andrew) 13 

Western District ( St. John & St. Mark) 1 

determine best areas for agriculture 

production through the use of 

geophysical information. 

• Land Use Planning: to provide 

guidance through land use mapping 

and survey for the suitable use of lands 

by all stakeholders, to provide some 

level of soil conservation management 

which would inform best practices 

in cultivation methods that would 

prevent soil erosion and land and soil 

degradation. 

• Performance of Analytical Testing for 

Soil Fertility: to determine the soil 

nutrient levels as a guide to fertilizer 

application. 

The Unit successfully functioned in all 

capacities in 2008 except in the capacity of 

analytical soil testing due to the destruction 

of the Soil Laboratory in 2004 by Hurricane 

Ivan. 

The Irrigation Management Unit has worked 

fervently to enhance farm productivity 

and the overall competitiveness of the 

agriculture sector through the supply of 

improved irrigation infrastructure. Using 

funding from donor agencies, the Unit 

procured high quality irrigation equipment 

in bulk at a cheaper price than that offered 

by local retailers. Polyethylene pipes which 

have a longer lifespan were used rather than 

PBC pipes. Irrigation systems were not 

only installed for vegetable production but 

also under tree crops such as citrus, cherries, 

carambola, sour soup and sapodilla. The 

Unit installed irrigation systems on fiftyone 

(51) farms in 2008, completed system 

designs for sixteen (16) farmers, and had 

sixteen (9) farmers waiting for installation. 

While the use of irrigation technology has 

been escalating, evidence of disparity with 

the use of other critical technologies such 

as soil and water management existed. It 

was apparent that farmers perceived that 

the introduction of irrigation systems 

would solve all agriculture production 

problems. However, the reality is with 

22



World Food Day Exhibition, Carriacou 

irrigation, added technologies such as soil 

management, ploughing, land terracing, 

temperature data analysis and assessment of 

rain fall data has become even more critical 

in order for farmers to attain compensating 

production. 

It has become even more essential to 

transfer more agronomical information 

to farmers. Deficiency in this area would 

continuously result in negative impacts to 

the environment especially as it relates to 

vegetable production. In 2008, there was an 

indication of increased siltation in rivers and 

dams which is indicative of the breakdown 

in farm planning systems. Basic cultivation 

techniques were seemingly abandoned 

possibly due to the cost of implementation 

verses price received for produce or market 

availability. 

The Division acknowledges other daunting 

challenges which have worked together 

as impediments to farmers’ adherence to 

proper land use practices. Some of these 

were identified as inadequate marketing 

of produce, lack of availability of land 

resources, especially for the young farmers, 

and small volume production. 

Limited marketing has resulted in reluctance 

of farmers to adhere to proper land use and 

management practices since it is unlikely 

that farmers recover these operational costs 

with the current prices received for their 

produce. Often citizens who possess land 

are not farmers. Farmers are then forced 

to lease land resources. In many cases, 

the Ministry assisted such farmers in the 

installation of irrigation systems. Landlords 

then request higher rent which more often 

than not became unaffordable to the farmers 

who was then forced to evacuate the farm. 

In turn, both the farm and the Ministry 

incurred losses. 

Another crucial problem is associated with 

the size of farming plots. Farmers attempt 

to maximize the land space whilst ignoring 

some of the detrimental impacts of 

extensive tree cutting. Also, small size plots 

are economically inviable for irrigation 

systems. Generally, in order for a farm to be 

economically viable it should be at least one 

(1) acre. Based on visual field observation, 

there is a growing trend that some ideal 

farm lands conducive for mechanized 

farming, which also have access to water 

and labour resources are located in the rural 

areas of Pearls and Conference, St. Andrew. 

However, the farming community runs the 

risk of losing these lands to housing and 

other developments. 

The Land Use Division attained many 

commendable achievements in 2008. The 

Division digitized and geo-referenced land 

parcels for the south western part of Grenada. 

It was also involved in the cartographic 

23



map design and sale of hard copy maps and 

digital data. A land suitability assessment 

and appraisal for farmers who benefitted 

under the irrigation and draining project 

was conducted. 

The IMU coordinated the preparation 

of Grenada National Water Policy and 

the drafting of the relevant Legislation to 

accompany that Policy. The Division also 

coordinated and convened a National 

Stakeholders’ Consultation on the Draft 

Water Policy Legislation to review and 

discuss the Legislation. Despite the many 

achievements, the major shortcoming of 

the Division was its inability to evaluate 

and monitor the impacts of technologies 

implementation on real agricultural 

output. However, in collaboration with the 

Extension Division, a farm data collection 

form was designed to capture this data in 

the future. 


Knowledge of soil science, Meteorology, 

Hydrology, Agro-Meteorology, Irrigation 

Management and Geographic Information 

Systems are the types of attributes and 

competencies that are expected within the 

Land Use Division. The Division employs 

specialists with knowledge in these areas, 

however, the human resource capacity, 

especially for the provision of irrigation 

services, was insufficient. Refreshers 

training in these various areas are also 

essential in order to increase competencies 

and also necessary to keep specialist abreast 

with new and improved technologies. 

In 2008, the Specialists in the Division 

received short term training in Hydrology, 

Irrigation Management, Geographic 

Information Systems and Land Use 

Management, nonetheless, more long 

term training is required. The Division 

endeavors to conduct research in the area 

of soil fertility, fertilizer use and irrigation 

management, however, the complementary 

staff necessary for research and monitoring 

is not available. In 2008, there were only 

four (4) field officers to provide irrigation 

and services island wide. Field Officers 

provided service for over 130 farmers which 

includes assessment and design, installation 

and maintenance. The officers were unable 

to meet the total demands for services 

requested by farmers. 

It was also apparent that there was a 

deficiency in general knowledge of the 

irrigation technology within the general 

public. Additionally, a lack of private 

repairs and maintenance support services 

impacted negatively on the quality of 

services provided to farmers. Consequently, 

much of the limited resource capacity in 

the Division was involved in the repairs 

and maintenance duties for farmers. This 

problem was compounded by the Division’s 

limited access to transportation. 


Impartation 

The Division conducted training sessions 

for farmers prior to installation of irrigation 

systems. Other critical training needs such 

as proper land use technologies should 

be imparted to farmers by the Extension 

Division. Farm demonstration was also used 

to impart knowledge to farmers. As it relates 

to irrigation technology, it was compulsory 

for farmers to work along with officers 

during installation. Farmers were also taught 

how to dismantle the system and also how 

to perform minor repairs and maintenance. 

Farmers were extremely compliant with 

the technique recommended for irrigation 

systems. The Division rated compliance as 

high as seventy percent (70%). However, 

other land use technologies were rated 

extremely low. 

In order to promote good land use practices 

the Division endeavors to foster good 

relationship with farmers and to highlight, 

through economic persuasion, the savings 

that can be made by employing proper land 

use practices. Some successful cases were 

also highlighted to farmers. 


Integration 

The Division endeavors to facilitate the 

needs of other collaborative institutions. 

This was the fundamental strategy used 

to ensure activity integration within the 

Ministry and with other key stakeholders. 

Additionally, information on special 

projects was shared with all key stakeholders 

in a timely manner. The Division worked 

extensively with the Extension Division 

especially in the area of training and 

technology knowledge transfer. In many 

cases, based on the recommendations of the 

Extension Division, services were provided 

to farmers. Occasionally, the Land Use 

and Irrigation Officers visited farms with 

Extension Officers. 

Projects for the Future 

Agriculture production was significantly 

improved as a result of the implementation 

of the irrigation project. The major concern 

is the survivability of the project which 

might be threatened by defaulting on 

loans by farmers. Appropriate measures 

should be taken to ensure the sustainability 

of this project. Other projects that are 

critical to future operation of the Land 

Use and Soil Lab and Irrigation Unit are 

a feasibility study to determine the cost 

effectiveness and impacts of fertilizer use on 

the integrity of soils. The Farm Machinery 

Pool and Garage Unit, envisages increasing 

its clientele and types of services offered 

especially land clearing. Increase resource 

capacity specifically D4 bulldozers, bobcats, 

disc plows and a JCB backhoe would be 

essential in order to achieve this objective. 

Other important priority areas as envisaged 

by the Division include: a project in rain 

water harvesting, training in environmental 

efficiency for fertilizers usage, project in 

water quality sampling and analysis, and 

training in irrigation efficiency and repairs 

and maintenance. 

24

Performance of the Livestock Subsector and Assessment and 

Impact of Supporting Ministerial Division 

Livestock Subsectors 

The abrogation of the Agriculture 

Statistical Department and the 

absence of an appropriate system 

to monitor slaughtering have resulted in a 

deficiency of livestock production data for 

pigs, cattle and small ruminants (goats and 

sheep). Production data for these animals 

for 2008 were therefore unattainable. Since 

2007, the poultry subsector employed 

an efficient production system which 

accommodated comparative performance 

analysis of the sub-sector. 

Although production statistics is also 

difficult to ascertain, apiculture was one 

of the fastest growing livestock subsectors 

in Grenada for the year 2008. Beekeepers 

have been exporting honey regionally and 

internationally. A number of gold medals 

have been won by the subsector at the 

London Show, indicative of the quality 

of honey produced in Grenada. Rabbit 

production also has significant potential, 

however, a number of initiatives of the past 

Comparison of Local Poultry Meat Production vs. Imported Poultry Meat 

10,943,568 lbs 

88% 

Local Poultry Meat Production in Pounds (lbs) 

Imported Poultry Meat in Pounds (lbs) 

1431,565 lbs 

12% 

Figure 

4 

Table 8: Poultry Production in 2008 (comparison percentage and value increase/decrease with Production in 

2007) 

Poultry Production 


Amount 

Day Old Chicks 392,191 

Local Broilers 

1,395,385 lbs 

Eggs 7,829,778 

ASL Hatchery (local) Imported 

704 Cases 

(253440 eggs) 

Turkey 20% Imported Stock 

177,181 Chicks 

36,180 lbs 

Description 

351,684 broilers 

38,832 layers 

1675 turkeys 

Total value 

$ 6,628,078.70 

Total value 

$4,436,874.20 

162, 424 broilers 

14,727 Layers 

High mortality rate due to 

sudden increase in environmental 

temperature resulting in the death 

of appox.20% of stock 

%Increase (decrease) & 

Increase (decrease) Value in 

EC$ 

- 

3.21% 

$14, 319 

(0.86%) 

($57,565.25) 

8.33% 

601,818 eggs 

$341,030.20 

(32.07%) 

(17,080 lbs) 

($136,640.00) 

25

Performance of the Livestock Subsector and Assessment and Impact of Supporting Ministerial Division 

...continued 

used to support rabbit production have 

declined. Nonetheless, rabbit meat can be 

purchased at some local supermarket. 

Poultry Subsector 

In 2008, Grenada’s poultry industry 

accounted for only 12% of the market share 

of total poultry consumption in Grenada. 

There was an increase of 3.31% in ‘day old 

chicks’ production and 8.33% increase in 

egg production. Grenada remained selfsufficient 

in egg production, however, there 

was an overall decrease in poultry compared 

to 2007. Corresponding to the decrease 

in local poultry production is a 19.97% 

increase in importation (2,185,626 lbs), 

valued at EC$ 6,556,878.00. Total poultry 

meat importation for 2008 amounted 

to 10,943,546.07 1bs which includes 

(1,539,544.55 lbs of Chicken back & 

neck, 3,320,228.79 lbs of Chicken wings, 

4,193,943.74 lbs of Chicken other parts, 

90.6 lbs of Chicken whole, 41,598.40 lbs 

of other poultry whole and 1,848,161.99 

lbs of other poultry parts). 

The poultry, cattle, pigs and small 

ruminants’ livestock subsectors have been 

supported over the years by the Ministry 

of Agriculture’s Veterinary and Livestock 

Division. The following assessment of the 

Division provides a performance and an 

impact analysis on the Livestock Subsector 

and also operation within the division in 

Table 9: Distribution of Dairy Goats by Parish 

Parish 

the year 2008. The Extension Division also 

provided support services to the Livestock 

Subsector. 

Veterinary and Livestock 

Division 


The Veterinary and Livestock Division is 

subdivided into two departments; Animal 

Health Emergencies and First Aid and 

Animal Production (Livestock Extension). 

The Division seeks to provide technical and 

non-technical support required for national 

livestock development, the maintenance 

of a healthy animal population and the 

prevention of the spread of diseases within 

the animal population and between the 

animal and human populations. The 

Division attempts to provide all services 

in a timely and efficient manner in order 

to support Grenada’s growing Livestock 

Industry. Key functions of the Division are 

to ensure that disease problems in animals 

are treated, prevented and wherever possible 

eradicated. It also seeks to provide technical 

information to livestock farmers including 

guidance on infrastructural designs and 

plan development, equipment installation, 

nutritional information and direction for 

feed production and storage. 

Livestock continued to be a main agricultural 

activity in rural areas. The Industry did not 

Number of 

Farmers 

Goats Owned 

St. Andrew 12 158 

St. Mark 38 197 

St. John 9 133 

St. Patrick 26 167 

St. George 16 168 

St. David 7 44 

TOTAL 108 867 

generate significant income to rural people, 

yet, some measure of income security 

was attained. Small poultry projects 

implemented by the Ministry, undoubtedly, 

made a valuable contribution to the 

incomes of rural people. Under the Food 

Security Programme, numerous vulnerable 

households also benefited. Assistance to 

the Livestock Industry through a livestock 

component of the AEDP Programme 

provided credit facilities in the form of 

loans which encouraged the production 

of poultry, pigs, small ruminants, rabbits 

and honey. A number of livestock farmers 

benefited from this programme. 

The Division is cognizant of the need to 

significantly expand the capacity of the 

Livestock Industry in Grenada since local 

production has not been able to significantly 

reduce decades of high meat importation. In 

2008, FAO, G-REP and European Union 

provided assistance to some activities of the 

Division. 

Operations 

In 2008, The Veterinary Sub-division 

experienced no outbreaks or incidences of 

any major diseases. The Division preformed 

routine animal health treatments; both 

internal and external parasite (lice and 

worms) which had devastating effects on 

imported goats. Annual rabies vaccination 

program was also conducted. The subdivision 

activities also included reactivation 

of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory 

with project completion date carded 

for March 2009. Equipment for the 

Laboratory was funded by the FAO valuing 

EC $202,500.00. 

Extension Sub-divisions embarked on several 

activities including the establishment of 

recording system in the piggery enterprises 

and initiation of Small Scale Dairy Goats 

Farmers Associations. Pig record cards were 

designed and 1,000 copies were printed 

and distributed to pig farmers. A sample of 

approximately 240 farmers is being guided 

on the usage of these forms. 

26


...continued 

Dairy Goats, Belmont Estate, St. Patrick 

Through field visits to all parishes, farmers 

were identified to rear goats for either milk 

or meat. The farmers were encouraged to 

form an association of dairy goats which 

has since been materialized. 

Animal production for the entire Livestock 

Industry in 2008 was unavailable since 

there was no organized production system 

for cattle, pigs and small ruminants. 

Animal slaughter was conducted in an ad 

hoc manner by stakeholders in numerous 

places island wide rather than at local 

Abattoirs where it would be much easier to 

accumulate production data. The poultry 

industry used a more organized system since 

Livestock Extension engaged Extension 

Trainees to visit poultry farms to collect 

data. In the case of apiculture, an estimate 

of producing hives must be attained in order 

to calculate gallons of honey produced. 

The most recent animal census was 

conducted in 1996 or 1995 (in 1995 

when the last agriculture census was done) 

which indicated then that there was an 

overall decrease in livestock production 

in Grenada. A significant number of 

the animal population expired during 

Hurricanes Ivan and Emily. However, the 

recovery period for poultry production was 

much faster than other animals especially 

cattle which has a gestation period of nine 

(9) months. A comparison of pre-Ivan 

animal population with 2008 was not 

determined. However, livestock farmers 

were faced with innumerable challenges 

such as primitive farming systems which 

are incapable of producing the market 

demands, poor quality replacement stock 

since high quality genetic stock would 

require substantial investments, high cost 

of production which makes it difficult to 

achieve cost leadership which is necessary 

to eliminate competition from import 

oriented suppliers, inconsistency in supplies 

due to limited investments in the industry, 

stock thief, dog predation and high cost of 

supplements among many others. 


The Livestock and Veterinary Division 

attempted to designate at least one Animal 

Health Officer in each agriculture district 

together with one Extension Officer 

per livestock type; poultry, swine, small 

ruminants, and apiculture, which was 

the fastest growing sector. All officers 

worked with cattle whilst under the 

artificial insemination programme, an 

individual officer was assigned. Livestock 

and Veterinary Officers are expected to 

be trained in the discipline of veterinary, 

27


...continued 

livestock animal science or livestock 

production. Unfortunately, throughout the 

Caribbean it is difficult to find academically 

trained persons in these areas. 

Capacity deficiencies by many field workers 

were supplemented by numerous training 

sessions. In 2008, training was conducted 

in areas of; rodent control, poultry 

husbandry, brooding and slaughtering 

management, honey production, record 

keeping, animal husbandry, pig production 

and ear tagging techniques. Additionally, 

in house training was provided to ensure 

that officers are abreast with the changing 

dynamics of the industry including training 

in artificial insemination, management 

systems, updated information on diseases 

and diagnostic techniques and prescribed 

treatments, together with knowledge base 

building on worldwide animal health 

diseases. 

The efficiency of the Division was 

considerable impeded by several problems 

including limited access to transportation 

and inadequate transport allowance, 

leverage necessary to meet the demands of 

stakeholders, deficiency in communication 

(no communication systems to facilitate 

information transfer from the office to 

and from the field visits), ad hoc farming 

systems as clients are located in many 

scattered remote areas which reduces the 

number of visits per day, flexible working 

hours of livestock farmers which makes it 

difficult to plan daily schedules accurately. 


Impartation 

The Division spent the past year reaching 

out to farmers’ organizations specifically 

the Grenada Poultry Association. Officer 

in charge of poultry development was 

intimately involved in the affairs of the 

association thereby providing training and 

knowledge exchange on poultry husbandry 

and other related areas. Likewise, 

information for livestock was disseminated 

through radio programmes sponsored by 

Caribbean Agro (supplement producer) and 

also television interviews and programmes 

were engaged to provide information on 

diseases and also demonstrations on new 

technologies. Workshops and seminars 

were also used to teach livestock farmers 

best practices for numerous issues. 


Integration 

Enforcement of laws was an apparent 

weakness of the Division owing to inadequate 

inter-ministry collaboration between the 

Ministry of Health and the Livestock 

Division. There have been some unclear 

arrangements over the years which should 

be addressed using a structured approach. 

Operative collaboration was obligatory in 

the area of anti-mortem and post-mortem 

inspection. Whilst the Ministry of Health 

was compliant with the post-mortem 

inspections, this was not the case 

for the Livestock Division even 

though anti-mortem inspection 

should be a prerequisite for 

post-mortem inspection. 

Another area of concern was 

the livestock stakeholders’ 

compliance to sanitary and 

phyto Sanitary measures 

which are mostly required for 

trade as mandated by the World 

Trade Organization of which 

Grenada is a signatory. 

However, consideration 

must be given to the 

internal trade of local 

livestock products to 

the local Tourism 

Industry. 

Projects 

for Future 

Development 

The success and 

development of 

Grenada’s Livestock 

Industry requires 

expansion of production 

capacity. Extensive strategic planning would 

be necessary to develop the sector. Already, 

a demonstration model was erected for 

small ruminants in Laura Lands, St. David 

with facilities that would inspire farmers to 

become involved in commercial production. 

More of these types of investments are 

needed. The Livestock Industry would 

significantly impact rural development only 

if substantial investments are made in the 

sector. Investments in dairy goat production, 

dairy breed cattle and expansion of the 

poultry industry are necessary for import 

substitution and significant contribution to 

national food security. 

28

Performance of the Fisheries Subsector and Assessment and Impact 

of Supporting Ministerial Division 

Fisheries Subsector 

Grenada’s Fishing Industry was one 

of the top performing subsectors in 

the Agriculture Industry in 2008. 

Production level in 2008 was only six percent 

(6%) less than pre-existing levels prior to 

Hurricanes Ivan and Emily. Overall fish 

production in 2008 was valued at EC$31.7 

million and in quantity, 5,260,145 lbs that 

was a sixteen percent (16.7%) increase in 

production compared to 2004. Crustacean 

fish production (lobsters, conch, turtles, 

squid) in 2008 recorded 31, 276 1bs. 

Fish exported to international markets in 

2008 amounted to 1,174,810 lbs, valued 

at EC$10.6 million. Eighty-five percent 

(85%) of total fish export goes to the North 

American Market, ten percent (10%) to 

the EU via French Martinique, and the 

remaining five percent (5%) to other 

Caribbean Islands. Fish export represented 

46.9% of the total Agriculture Export in 

2008, with a contribution of 1.4% to Gross 

Domestic Product. 

The Fisheries Subsector has been supported 

over the years by the Ministry of Agriculture’s 

Fisheries Division. The following assessment 

of the Division provides a performance and 

an impact analysis on the subsectors and 

also operation within the Division in the 

year 2008. 

Fisheries Division 


condition. The Division is therefore 

cognizant of the importance to enact 

appropriate legislation and enforcement 

complemented by a co-management and 

community-based management approach 

to achieve its professed mission of effective 

fisheries management and development. 

Conservation and management of 

threatened and endangered species such 

as conch, lobster, turtle and the inshore 

Production 

in Million 

Pounds 

(lbs) 

$14 

6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1 

0 

5,613,833 

2003 

Fish Production 2003-2008 

4,505,478 

2004 

pelagic stock remains a main concern of the 

Division. 

The fishing industry in Grenada remains a 

critical enterprise for the livelihoods of both 

rural and urban communities. A number of 

coastal communities obtain their livelihoods 

and daily protein from fish. The industry is 

generally community focused at a number 

of focal points on the islands of Grenada, 

4,512,945 

2005 

Year 

4,773,502 

2006 

Fish Exports in Value 2003-2008 

4,874,950 

2007 

5,260,145 


Figure 

5 

The Fisheries Division promotes sustainable 

utilization of the living marine resources 

within the Fishery waters of Grenada for 

current and future generations. The Division 

intends to effectively manage and develop 

the Fisheries sub sector, functioning as 

the lead agency for purpose of governance 

and with vested interest in the sector that 

ensures the unremitting benefits to all 

stakeholders. 

Export 

value in 

dollars 

(Million) 

$12 

$10 

$8 

$6 

$4 

$2 

$11,718,835 

$8,193,909 

$9,494,601 

$11,088,428 

$10,587,147 

$9,414,413 

Figure 

6 

Fishing in Grenada is conducted under 

open access and common property 

$0 

2003 

2004 

2005 

Year 

2006 

2007 


29

Performance of the Fisheries Subsector and Assessment and Impact of Supporting Ministerial Division 

...continued 

Fishing Community in St. John 

© FAO / Giuseppe Bizzarri 

Carriacou and Petite Martinique consisting 

of over 2800 fishermen. Although the 

industry is small scale, the fishing fleet 

is rapidly transforming from subsistence 

operations into commercial operations. 

Subsequent to the devastation caused 

to the industry by Hurricanes Ivan and 

Emily in 2004 and 2005 respectively, 

financial assistance from the Government 

of Grenada and donor agencies specifically; 

FAO, USAID and CIDA contributed 

significantly to the tremendous recovery 

and development of this subsector. 

Fishermen were provided with vessels, a 

communication network, fishing items and 

safety items. The Grenada Rural Enterprise 

Project also funded a storage facility at 

Waltham, St. Mark (a very underprivileged 

community in Grenada) which resulted 

in great benefits for the community. The 

Ministry of Agriculture also concluded 

negotiations with the Government of 

Japan on the Project for Improvement 

of the Traditional Fishing Community 

Infrastructure at Gouyave. 

Though the actual impact on rural 

development is difficult to decipher, 

observations of increase wealth of some 

grassroots fishermen is evident in their 

access to credit from financial institutions 

to purchase boats and personal property 

in recent years. The marginal increase in 

wealth of some fishermen may be attributed 

to the expansion of export markets that 

have been attained in North America since 

the mid 80’s. 

Food Security also takes precedence in 

the development of the sector. Whilst the 

fishing industry may have been a source of 

income for rural community which permits 

access to food, there is a need to focus on 

fish processing and preservation to ensure 

long-term food security. 

Operations 

The fisheries industry was one of the few 

industries to recover in a short period of 

time post Ivan and Emily. Fish production 

has been increasing progressively, however, 

one of the major concern is the management 

of the fisheries resources in order to ensure 

sustainability. The work scope of the 

Fisheries Division includes; the monitoring 

of the range of fish stocks and habitat utilized 

by stakeholders, regulation to the operations 

of users of fisheries resources, surveillance 

of activities of fishing units, actions to 

initiate and facilitate development within 

the sector, collaboration with regional 

30


...continued 

and international institutions on matters 

of fisheries development, the promotion 

of co-management and community based 

management among stakeholders and 

provision of services, including technical 

support to enhance the efficiency within 

the sector. 

In 2008, the Division identified its 

priority areas for 2008 as; infrastructural 

development, training, establishment of a 

fishery communication network, support 

strategies for marine protected areas, focus 

on fisheries biology, the welfare of fishermen, 

adherence to ICCAT Convention, 

focus on building and strengthening 

fisher organisations, collaboration with 

the Regional Corporation in Fisheries, 

enhancement of quality assurance, review 

of legislation and support to investment 

in the industry. Accomplishment in some 

of the priority areas resulted in a gradual 

increase in fish production for the year. 

Infrastructural projects implemented, 

specifically, the communication network 

and the installation of the Waltham 

Fish Centre had a significant impact on 

production in 2008. The installment 

of communication network permitted 

fishermen to conduct fishing activities up 

to 100 or 120 miles out at sea. This major 

improvement created confidence among 

fishermen since any problems encountered 

or information required ashore can be 

easily communicated. Fishermen were 

able to work further at sea spending longer 

periods. The installation of a new cold 

room facility at Waltham made possible for 

the community to move from the one or 

two boats to the most number of boats in 

the Parish of St. Mark. Seventy-five (75%) 

of the fish from the parish comes from the 

Waltham community. 

There are opportunities to further increase 

the total fish production from the pelagic 

fishery to a maximum sustainable yield 

through expansion of the pelagic fleet 

that utilizes the appropriate technology. 

However, the management of demersal and 

crustacean fisheries is critical since they are 

more susceptible to depletion than large 

pelagic. More management measures should 

be employed to ensure the sustenance of 

these residential stocks. 

In 2008, the Division employed technology 

such as close seasons, biological and 

physiological restrictions in terms of size, 

of spawning, molting or other growth 

signals. Fishermen were prohibited by 

law to catch lobsters that were premature 

or lobsters with eggs in order to facilitate 

stock replenishment. The Division has 

been working persistently to develop 

more management strategies to protect 

crustacean species. In collaboration with 

the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean 

States-Environmental and Sustainable 

Development Unit (OECS-ESDU) and 

other local stakeholders, the Fisheries 

Division has been preparing for the 

implementation of the Management Plan 

for Sandy Island and Oyster Bed Marine 

Protected Area Project. 

The main challenge in the fisheries industry 

is marketing. Some cold storage facilities, 

over the period under review, were filled to 

capacity. However, the marketing is also 

reliant on another critical challenge, that 

is, quality control and quality assurance; a 

post harvesting technology. It is imperative 

that quality is considered through all stages 

of production, including at the point of 

harvesting since it would be useless to 

enforce quality at the latter stages. Training 

in this area is therefore critical. It was found 

that the younger generation of fishermen 

generally fails to adhere to quality 

standards. In order for the industry to be 

more economically viable to stakeholders, 

quality control must be taken seriously. 

Commitment on the part of all stakeholders 

is needed to ensure and maintain quality 

assurance. 

Operational problems that existed in 

the provision of fishery services for the 

past year includes: inadequate access to 

transportation; budgetary constraints, 

inadequate information system to provide 

biological data on fisheries and lack of 

training opportunities. The Division 

was not assigned a vehicle which is a 

necessity when dealing with regulations 

enforcements. Often there were reports of 

illegal activities, however, no transportation 

was available to facilitate officers in visiting 

such eventualities. 


The Fisheries Division is subdivided into 

Fisheries Biology, Fisheries Quality and 

Fisheries Extension or Communication. 

The Division operates in the four agriculture 

districts in Grenada and one in Carriacou. 

Sixteen (16) specialized staff and twentyseven 

(27) operational staff were employed 

at the various districts. 

The Division has experienced and trained 

staff, however, the complement of staff 

was inadequate to satisfy the demands of 

the work programme. Human Resource 

Development, specifically recruitment 

and training of staff to provide continuity 

with the work programme became a major 

concern. There has been an urgent need for 

a Data Management Officer since 2003 

and to date that vacant post has not been 

filled, which resulted in severe constraint in 

providing data and information to facilitate 

planning and management. There are only 

four (4) Extension Officers, three (3) in 

Grenada and one for Carriacou and Petit 

Martinique which negatively affected the 

productivity and efficiency of officers. The 

ratio of Extension Officers to fishermen 

is therefore extremely high; 4 to 2800 

fishermen. 

Within the past ten years, no officer has 

attended any structured short-term or 

long-term training. There is an apparent 

lack of such opportunities available, not 

only in Grenada, but throughout the 

OECS. Few officers participated in an 

exchange programme on Fish Culture and 

Fish Development in China. There has also 

been a lack of a continuous system for staff 

assessment and upgrading which may also 

influence productivity negatively. 

31


...continued 

Fish Market. Melville Street, St. George’s 


However, the most critical issue as it relates 

to human resource capacity was the need 

for training. 


Impartation 

Consultation and training were the major 

strategies used for knowledge impartation 

to fishermen. Two major consultations were 

held with fishermen island-wide; the first 

addressed critical issues such as marketing, 

escalating fuel prices, opportunities 

for increase fish production, fisheries 

conservation and formation of a National 

Fisherfolk Organization. 

The second consultation dealt with 

enhancing communication among and 

between fisherfolks. This programme 

was jointly organized with the Centre for 

Resource Management and Environmental 

Studies at the University of the West Indies. 

Training was also provided to fishermen in 

the areas of: Fishing Vessel Captaincy, use of 

VHF/SSB Radio to enhance ship-to-shore 

communication, Saftey-at-Sea and Global 

Positioning System. To enhance quality 

assurance, assistance was also provided to 

five fish trading vessels that are engaged 

in fish trade between Grenada Grenadines 

and French Martinique to prepare their 

Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures 

(SSOP) and Hazard Analysis Critical 

Control Point (HACCP). 

Generally there were various levels of 

compliance to prescribed practices by the 

Division. Nonetheless, on average, the 

compliance rate was five out of ten (5/10). 

In the past fishermen blatantly contravene 

the regulations and prescribed practices of 

the fisheries management and conservation 

system, however, in recent years the 

evidence of their destructive actions may 

have contributed to greater compliance. 


Integration 

Within the Ministry of Agriculture there was 

constant and effective collaboration between 

the Fisheries Division and other ministerial 

divisions. Working collaboration with the 

Department of Forestry, the Coast Guard, 

Custom Department and the Ministry of 

Health was also extremely beneficial to the 

affairs of Fisheries. The Ministry of Health 

has been ensuring quality assurance and has 

been providing certification for fish vendors 

and fish cleaners. A good relationship persists 

with the Department of Forestry in the 

quest to protect marine areas, for instance, 

the mangroves which provide an extremely 

important habitant for fish breeding and 

feeding. This relationship between the 

Fisheries and Forestry Divisions existed for 

over twenty (20) years. 


There are tremendous opportunities for 

expansion of the fishing industry in Grenada. 

However, further expansion is dependent on 

the necessary infrastructural development 

to create the environment for proper fish 

handling systems and to ensure safety and 

security of fishermen. In the past, a number 

of fishermen were lost at sea. The expansion 

of export markets relies extensively on the 

effective implementation of quality and 

food standards. Projects relating to fish 

processing are also a necessity. 

32

Performance of the Forestry Subsector and Assessment and Impact 

of Supporting Ministerial Division 

Forestry Subsector 

Grenada’s forestry subsector is of 

critical importance to the country 

especially as it regards to protecting 

the island water sources, conserving our 

biodiversity, providing recreational and 

livelihood opportunities. Field observations 

bear witness to the drying up of ravine 

and some rivers. Hurricanes Ivan and 

Emily also had a devastating impact on 

the destruction of Forest resources. The 

Forestry Division remains the sole manager 

of forest resources in Grenada and has the 

mandate to manage the forest resources 

in collaboration with all stakeholders. In 

2008, the Division continued its forest 

rehabilitation efforts with a target of 

15 acres. Six (6) acres were successfully 

rehabilitated in a manner devoid of adverse 

effects to biodiversity. Rehabilitation for the 

year recorded a significant 43% increase in 

quantity of production compared to 2007. 

The following assessment of the Division 

provides a performance and an impact 

analysis on the subsector and also operation 

within the Division in the year 2008. 

Forestry Division 


of the forestry system to the environment, 

institutions and communities. The Forestry 

Division is committed to facilitating: the 

sustainable management of wild life and 

maintenance of biodiversity, watershed 

management, timber production, tree 

planting, protection of mangroves, and 

enhancement of recreational and ecotourism 

products. 

The strategic objectives of the Division were 

grafted from the National Forestry Policy 

which is consistent with both regional and 

international conservation organization such 

as The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the 

United Nations Convention on Biological 

Diversity Forum on Forest (UNFF). 

The Strategic objectives for 2008 were: 

reforestation of about fifteen (15) acres of 

forest, consistent liaison with stakeholders 

and the provision of technical support to all 

stakeholders, implementation of activities 

geared towards conservation of the forest 

and collaboration with conservation 

institutions including the United Nations 

Convention to Combat Diversification and 

local Non-Governmental Organisations. 

The operations of the Division during 

the year under review have significantly 

contributed to rural development. In 

addition to achieving some form of 

sustainable management of forested areas 

which was done in collaboration with 

G-REP, the Division also embarked upon 

the development of an eco-tourism product 

in the community of Après Tout, St. David. 

This livelihood project has the potential 

to benefit the community tremendously 

through the provision of employment and 

other income opportunities. Members 

from this community were equipped 

with the necessary tolls such as effective 

communication and other entrepreneurial 

skills. Community members will establish 

their own tourism service business such 

as tour guides and the merchants of 

medicinal herbs and exotic spices. The 

Division also worked with the Convention 

on Climate Change, CANARI and TNC 

for the implementation of other forestry 

related activities that are consistent with 

international conventions and agreements 

and ensures that Grenada’s commitments 

with such conventions and agreements are 

honored. 

Operations 

The Forestry Division is sub-divided into 

the Upland Watershed Management, 

Trees Establishment and Management, 

The Forestry Division is conceived as the 

leading natural resource management 

institution that ensures the sustainable 

management of the island’s forest resources. 

The Division works diligently to manage 

in a sustainable manner, Grenada’s forest 

resources and cultural landmarks in order 

to optimise on the potential contribution 

that could be made environmentally, 

socially and also to the country’s economic 

development. 

In past decades, the Division narrowly 

focused on the planting of trees to support 

economic activities such as local craft 

production. However, from 1997, with the 

introduction of the National Forest Policy, its 

mandate has evolved to reflect the strategic 

direction which highlights the importance 

Number of 

Forest Trees 

Produced 

10,000 

8,000 

6,000 

4,000 

2,000 

0 

Forest Trees Production 2003-2008 

10,000 

8,000 

7,000 

5,000 

5,000 

3,000 

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 

Year 

Figure 

7 

33

Performance of the Forestry Subsector and Assessment and Impact of Supporting Ministerial Division 

...continued 

Maintenance and Management, Forest 

Recreation, Heritage, Forestry Conversation 

and Environmental Education, Wildlife 

Conservation and Mangrove Conservation. 

All the Departments performed assiduously 

various activities to ensure the success in 

achieving the strategic objectives of the 

Division. 

As a result of Hurricane Ivan, ninety 

percent (90%) of the forest lands and 

watershed became uncovered as canopying 

trees had fallen. Estimated damage to the 

Forestry Industry was around EC$ 20.8 

million. Regeneration and growth of 

vegetation became a matter of urgency not 

only because of the exposure of watershed 

areas but to prevent the destruction of the 

wildlife habitat and feeding grounds of 

the faunal species. Wildlife habitat started 

to diminish which may have resulted in 

possible decline of these species. Though the 

market demand for trees had decreased, the 

need to stimulate production was eminent. 

The Forestry Division has been phasing 

out excessive forestry harvesting since most 

trees are located in critical watershed areas, 

however, harvesters were permitted to extract 

fallen trees. Major extracting activities were 

related to the six (6) sawmills operating 

in Grenada. These sawmills produce small 

volumes of lumber, mainly for furniture and 

craft production. To sustain this market, 

the Forestry Division replanted economical 

trees such as Mahogany and Blue Mahoe. 

Other species were also purchased by 

farmers for windbreaks. The Caribbean 

Table 10: Size of Grenada’s Forest Reserves 

Grenada’s Gazetted Forest Reserves 

Pine, an exotic species, was severely damaged 

during Hurricane Ivan. Even standing pine 

tree has been dying. In attempts to salvage 

some benefits from these trees, the Division 

permitted harvesters to cut for economical 

purposes. 

Other achievements of the Division for 

the period under review were: production 

of fence post to satisfy needs of local 

builders and other local stakeholders, 

the establishment of boundary lines 

maintenance to avoid forest rangers from 

patrolling on private lands, successes in 

anti-squatting and early detection activities, 

establishment of a management plan for 

the Levera Diversity and the Conservation 

Action Plan (CAP) in Brizian St. George. 

Another major success was the survey and 

demarcation of six (6) Forest Reserves; 

Mt. Moritz, Grand Etang, Annadale, 

Richman Hill, Mt. Gazo, Grand Bras and 

Perseverance which were also gazetted. In 

collaboration with G-REP, the Division 

commenced the process of maintaining 

facilities and establishing new ones in order 

to satisfy the needs of locals and tourists in 

the areas of Grand Etang and Après Tout. 

The main challenges experienced by the 

Forestry Division were identified as: 

budgetary constraints, insufficient research, 

inadequate resource capacity including 

office equipment and inflexibility of service 

operations particularly for forest policing 

activities. Financial allocation for the 

Division was insufficient to bear the cost 

of replanting and extraction operations. 

Size in Acres 

Mt. Moritz 22 

Mt. Gazo 62 

Grand Etang 3,816 

Annandale 590 

Perseverance (Dove Sanctuary) 45 

Grand Bras 10.4 

Richmond Hill 21 

Planting materials procured from 

Holland were especially high-priced. The 

physiological and demographics status of 

many wildlife species were unascertained in 

the absence of research. This limitation may 

have deluded or reduce the effectiveness of 

management strategies for hunting of wild 

animals. Additionally, funding anticipated 

from donor agencies was not realized. Other 

intractable problems such as the challenges 

posed by the topography and problems 

caused by fragility of soil and water facilities 

in the uplands were contingently managed. 

The Division restrained extraction in 

the middle belt of forestry areas and also 

prohibited clear felling (the mass clearing of 

forest areas) operations in order to prevent 

vulnerable upper lands from eroding 

during heavy rain falls. Selecting felling was 

therefore practiced. 


The Forestry Division operations are 

conducted in each agriculture district 

including Carriacou and Petite Martinique. 

Basic services provided in all districts 

include: the maintenance of plantations, 

planting activities and the provision of 

labour service and technical assistance to 

stakeholders. Forestry Officers are expected 

to be conversant in their specialized line of 

work as it relates to mandate of their Unit. 

However, for the effective operation of the 

Division special competency is needed in 

biodiversity management, collaborative 

management and communication skills 

since the Division takes a participatory 

approaching in meeting the needs of 

stakeholders. 

While the overall structure of the Division 

can be described as competent, there were 

inadequacies in its effectiveness in 2008 

because of insufficient human resource 

capacity. Critical positions in the Forest 

Conservation Unit, Tree Establishment 

and Management Unit and the Forest 

Recreation Unit remained vacant for 

the year. This significantly affected the 

efficiency of service operations provided 

34

Performance of the Forestry Subsector and Assessment and Impact of Supporting Ministerial Division 

...continued 

by the Division. The Division was also 

concerned about the continuity of the 

Forestry Division since experienced staff 

are approaching retirement age. There is the 

need for a succession plan and strategies to 

transfer of knowledge to younger recruits. 

The Division also suffered from major 

deficiencies due to the lack of training. 

Forest Rangers in all districts were by no 

means trained in the area. Operations 

of the Rangers are sustained solely 

from the knowledge imparted by senior 

professionals. These Rangers were expected 

to execute conservation practices which 

include: monitoring and evaluating of 

pest and diseases, identifying exotic species 

and policing activities, however, they lack 

structured training in these areas. 

Forest Rangers should be knowledgeable 

in Pathology, Entomology, Hydrology 

and Forestry Management, unfortunately, 

opportunities to acquire such competencies 

were unavailable. Another critical problem 

as it relates to the Forest Rangers was the 

inflexible working hours, (8am - 4pm) 

which failed to allow efficient policing of 

illegal activities in the forest. The lack of 

transportation after working hours has been 

cited also as a major difficulty. The hours 

of operations for Grenada’s Forest Rangers 

are different to that which occurs in other 

OECS countries. 


Impartation 

The Division works closely with the 

harvesters and the hunters association. 

Forestry tree harvesting is extremely 

procedural in order to prevent adverse 

effects to the environment. Officers provide 

guidance to harvesters on designated 

harvesting areas. The Forestry Officer 

visits the site prior to harvesting and they 

also provide specifications on the tree that 

should be cut, the direction it should fall 

and hauled. Only chain saws are used for 

cutting since no mechanized harvesting is 

allowed. These practices also ensure that 

the under-story regenerating plants are not 

destroyed. The compliance rate of harvester 

is as high as nine out of ten (9/10). It is 

suspected that management strategies 

employed for hunting were not always 

adhered to by hunters, especially after the 

working hours of Forest Rangers. Great 

attempts to liaise with farming stakeholders 

above the catchment area should also be 

pursued. 


Integration 

Forestry Division works in close partnership 

with other Ministerial Divisions especially 

the Fisheries Division and many other nongovernmental 

organisations. The National 

Water and Sewerage Authority which is a 

statutory body works very closely also with 

the Division. The Division attempts to 

work in partnership with all stakeholders 

within the various communities to facilitate 

the provision of effective services. 

Though the planning activities within 

the Ministry of Agriculture take a holistic 

approach, there is a need to formalize interdepartmental 

relationships. Departmental 

liaison officers must be clearly identified 

and should engage in the sharing of 

information on inter-related activities. The 

Forestry Division also acknowledges the 

efforts of other Ministries responsible for 

the Environment. However, the mandates 

should be made clear in order to avoid 

duplication of efforts. 


The continuous success of the Forest 

Division will be dependent on many 

factors such as the human resource 

development, constant liaison with regional 

and international allied organisation, 

investment in training, forestry research and 

constructive collaborative efforts with key 

stakeholders. Sustainability plans should be 

developed for projects already implemented 

such as the livelihood projects in Grand 

Etang and Après Tout. It is imperative that 

the Ministry of Tourism and the Board of 

Tourism provide substantial support to 

these projects. 

Other projects which are critical to the 

future success of the Division are projects 

associated with Watershed Management 

and the implementation of strategies which 

would ensure reforestation especially the 

establishment of a nursery. 


35

Performance of the Agro-Processing Subsector and Assessment and 

Impact of Supporting Ministerial Division 

Agro-Processing 

Subsector 

The agro-processing subsector in 

many cases has been indigenous 

to Grenada. However, the 

commercialization of locally produced 

agro-processed products may be considered 

to be bordering the introduction stage for 

many products and the growth stage of the 

Product Life Cycle for some which have 

been accessing regional and international 

markets. Some prominent successes in the 

agro-subsector can be attributed to the key 

players, namely, the La Grenade Industry 

leading producers of jams and jellies, 

Noelville Ltd with its most distinguished 

product – the Nutmed spray for pain relief, 

Grenada Chocolate Company; producer 

of organic dark chocolate, Caribbean Agro 

Industries Ltd and local rum distillers. 

Grenada Central Statistics Office recorded 

exports of agro-processed products in 2008 

EC $2,760,000. The Beekeepers Association 

also exported honey in the quantity of 

701 litres to Trinidad, Martinique and St. 

Vincent valuing over EC $20,000. Other 

smaller groups and small agro-processors 

throughout the island processed products 

such as jams and jellies, tamarind balls, 

guava cheese, plantain and banana chips, 

fresh fruit juices, nectars, pepper sauces, 

cassava bread, farine, rum, ice creams, 

nutmeg and coconut oil among many other 

products. Actual production figures during 

the year 2008 were unavailable. 

Although it is not mandatory, the 

Ministry of Agriculture’s Produce Chemist 

Laboratory has provided support to some 

commercial and small agro-processors over 

the years. The following assessment of the 

Laboratory provides a performance and an 

impact analysis on the subsector and also 

operation within the Laboratory in the year 

2008. 

Produce Chemist 

Laboratory 


The Produce Chemist Laboratory seeks to 

provide quality analytical services, relevant 

research, product development and pilot 

processing, training, consultancies and 

project development in support of the Agro- 

Processing and Trade Industries in Grenada. 

The Laboratory intends to become a leading 

accredited laboratory with a qualified 

resource centre that would adequately meet 

the needs of its stakeholders locally and 

regionally. 

Over the years, the Produce Chemist 

Laboratory has benefited many food 

processing efforts locally: community 

groups, the manufacturing sector in Grenada 

and government and non-governmental 

departments and other organizations. 

Since the establishment of the laboratory, 

hundreds of analyses have been performed 

which resulted in the development of over 

fifty (50) formulas, the commercialization of 

several products formulated and training in 

excess of five hundred (500) rural persons in 

agro-processing techniques which provided 

the necessary skills and knowledge base 

to foster self-reliance and entrepreneurial 

development. 

In 2008, the Laboratory provided services 

to both the private and public sectors. 

Capacity building in rural personnel and 

women’s groups in rural areas was promoted 

in an attempt to improve the livelihoods of 

rural people. Assistance provided by the 

Laboratory was aimed to equip stakeholders 

for the delivery of high quality and safe 

products to consumer markets. 

During the period under review, the 

Laboratory implemented two livelihood 

projects which were expected to boost 

agro-processing in Grenada. These projects, 

funded by the OAS, were the ‘Individualized 

Technical Assistance to the Agro-Processing 

Sector’ which was geared towards 

improving food safety and enhancement 

of consumers confidence and the ‘Heritage 

Documentation and Enhancement Project’ 

which was aimed towards nurturing the 

economic potential of Grenada’s traditional 

confectionary and snack foods. The FAO 

also funded another livelihood project 

geared towards enhancing agro-processing 

in Grenada. 

Operations 

The Produce Chemist Laboratory is 

sub-divided into three main functional 

departments: Food Technology, Chemistry 

and Micro Biology. The Food Technology 

sub-division provides services to agroprocessors 

which include pilot processing 

and training. The Chemistry and Micro 

Biology sub-division provides support 

to trade through the provision of quasi 

certification for example, analysis for 

cocoa and quality testing for fish exported. 

Quality testing for potable water and also 

island-wide supply is also a mandate of 

these sub-divisions since Grenada has 

compulsory standards for water. 

The Laboratory conducted routine 

operations for the year 2008 which 

included the provision of analytical 

services to stakeholders, training for agroprocessors, 

modifications or improvement 

of formulas upon processors request, 

forensic testing in cases where criminal 

activities were suspected and other 

collaborative work with other institutions. 

However, the effectiveness and efficiency 

of the Laboratory was severely hindered by 

numerous problems including, a dilapidated 

building which houses the laboratory, 

insufficient infrastructure and poor sanitary 

conditions for food preparation, inadequate 

equipment (computers, microscopes) 

and a pilot processing area which was 

considered to be in a deplorable state. The 

pilot processing area once facilitated all 

training and provided facilities for agroprocessors 

with limited resources to conduct 

production activities at their private homes. 

36

Performance of the Agro-Processing Subsector and Assessment and Impact of Supporting Ministerial Division 

...continued 

The current facility is a poor example and 

demonstration for agro-processors. Two (2) 

years ago, a project was submitted for the 

renovation of the pilot area, however, it was 

not approved. 

In the past years, no system was instituted to 

collect agro-processing data. This problem 

has been difficult to surmount since it was 

by no means mandatory for agro-processors 

to consult with the Laboratory. The 

Laboratory was therefore unable to provide 

any production data as it relates to agroprocessing, 

neither was it able to compare 

production levels over the years. 

Some of the agro-processors main challenges 

have been identified as inconsistency in the 

availability of raw material supplies, limited 

competencies in business management, 

social interaction and overall entrepreneurial 

skills, inadequate observance of food 

and packaging standards and lack of 

credit facilities available with reasonable 

interest rates. Affordable packaging was 

also an impeding limitation to many 

agro-processors. It was also emphasized 

that seasonality and inadequate storage 

negatively impacted on consistent 

availability of raw materials. Agro-processors 

encountered problems when purchasing 

raw materials since farmers do not always 

provide consistent quality and quantities at 

a reasonable price. This significantly affects 

the final product weighing on the principle 

of ‘garbage in garbage out’. 

Additionally, many agro processors have 

been providing the laboratory with parts 

of formulation because of an apparent lack 

of trust or defense mechanism to protect 

their secret recipes. This practice limits the 

credibility of analysis conducted for agroprocessors. 

It was also suspected that the 

businesses of many small agro-processors 

have been unprofitable since they produce 

small quantities and unable to achieve 

economies of scale and proper product 

costing. 

Agro-Processing in Grenada can be 

intrinsically linked to national food 

security, especially in the area of food 

preservation. Collaborators should focus 

on the production of sweeteners and 

preservatives on a community level which 

would be especially critical in the aftermath 

of national catastrophes. 

There is also enormous potential for 

the development of spice products. The 

Laboratory developed eighteen (18) formulas 

for the Minor Spices Cooperative, however, 

none of these formulas were developed or 

commercialized. The maximum potential 

of the agro-processing industry in Grenada 

requires the support of a comprehensive 

plan for the sub sector which would provide 

appropriate development strategies. 


Laboratory Technicians are expected 

to possess core competencies in their 

specialized area of work, (food technology, 

chemistry or micro-biology) in addition 

to analytical, research and reporting skills. 

There is an urgent need for refresher and 

specialized training. The Laboratory’s Food 

Technologist and Chemist are certified, 

however, the Microbiologist possesses 

37

Performance of the Agro-Processing Subsector and Assessment and Impact of Supporting Ministerial Division 

...continued 

mostly practical skills. There is also an 

urgent need for the development of a 

successor to the head of Division since the 

present head is approaching retirement. An 

ideal technician would be an individual 

with multi-faceted abilities rather than the 

mere specialized competencies. 

Capacity strengthening at the Produce 

Chemist Laboratory would be necessary in 

order to upgrade Laboratory services and 

also the provision of official certification 

in areas of competencies within the facility. 

Training in the development of analytical 

techniques, new laboratory methodologies, 

documentation, calculation of uncertainties 

and expertise in the implementation and 

support services for quality systems would 

be imperative for the future success of the 

laboratory. 


Impartation 

and quality standards were adhered to prior 

to retail purchasing. 


Integration 

The Produce Chemist Laboratory worked 

very closely with the Extension Division 

of the Ministry of Agriculture and also 

with the Grenada Bureau of Standard, 

especially in the areas of training, water 

testing, etc. Close collaboration has been 

developed also with the 4H movement 

(young agriculturists at primary school 

level). Occasionally, consultations with the 

Ministry of Health was facilitated also and 

with the Department of Consumer Affairs 

whenever there were consumer complaints. 

Relationships were also fostered with agroprocessors 

cluster groups such as CABA 

and non-profit organizations. 


Immediate attention must be given to 

the renovation of the Produce Chemist 

Laboratory and an upgrade of laboratory 

infrastructure. A repositioning strategy is an 

essential step towards the accreditation of 

the Produce Chemist Laboratory and also 

a necessity to meet the current demands of 

the agro-processing industry. As agriculture 

production increases there is a heighten 

demand for agro-processing which is 

equally critical to the country’s attempts to 

realize national food security and a measure 

of import substitution. Projects which 

embark upon the development of this 

industry should be welcomed. Certification 

programs and the development of a quality 

manual which recognizes laboratory 

standards ISO 17025 should also be 

encouraged. 

Laboratory Technicians have been actively 

involved in the provision of technical 

assistance for agro-processors on an 

individual basis. Under the OAS livelihood 

projects, training was also provided to agroprocessors 

specifically in the areas quality 

auditing, risk management and general 

hygiene. The Laboratory also provided other 

supplementary services such as site visits, 

consultations, provision of information 

as requested, tech packs and ingredient 

measuring facilities. Processing services 

were not available for the year under review 

due to deplorable lab conditions. 

Waterwheel at River Antoine Rum Distillery, St. Patrick 

Despite guidance provided by the 

Laboratory, many agro-processors sell 

products of mediocre labeling and packaging 

standards. Overall compliance rate to 

practices prescribed by the Laboratory was 

rated at fifty percent (50%). Legislation 

to enact such standards also to ensure 

compulsory analysis by the Laboratory 

would assist in rectifying these problems. 

Supermarkets and other sales outlets should 

only purchase products on the premise that 

the proper auxiliary analysis was conducted 

38

Performance of the Spice Subsector and Assessment and Impact of 

Supporting Statutory Association 

Spice Subsector 

The real production output of spices 

produced in Grenada in 2008 

was difficult to ascertain since 

processing is frequently conducted by locals 

for various purposes which is not captured, 

for instance, a significant amount of spices 

are harvested and processed annually by 

members of the rural communities for 

trafficking and vending to cruise and 

stayover visitors. Nonetheless, the Minor 

Spice Cooperative and Marketing Society 

is the renowned spice processor on island. 

Records from the cooperative indicates 

that it produced 4846 pounds of spices of 

which 3800 was processed and 3300 was 

exported to its main market, Barbados and 

other regional markets. Total income raised 

from sales of spices for 2008 was EC$ 

52,053.29. 

with monopolistic authorization for the 

trading of spices to external markets. The 

Cooperative has been the nucleus of the 

spice industry in Grenada through the 

purchasing of spices from farmers for 

processing. The processed spices are then 

supplied to customers locally, regionally 

and internationally. The Cooperative has 

been established with the intent of creating 

livelihood and a source of income for 

farmers in rural areas. 

A continuous production of spices in 

Grenada is necessary for maintaining the 

world renowned image as the ‘Spice Isle 

6,000 

5,630 

Spice Exported in 2003-2008 

of the Caribbean’. The Cooperative is 

committed to the development of the Spice 

Industry in Grenada to ensure sustainable 

livelihoods of rural people. Purchases are 

made from sixty (60) farmers mostly from 

rural areas of Mal Mount and Après Tout 

in St. David. The Cooperative developed 

the concept of the Laura Spice and Herb 

Garden which serves as a spice production 

plant and a spice and herb garden which 

showcases herbs and economic spices. The 

Laura Spice and Herb Garden is also used 

as an Agro/Eco-Tourism product. 

The following assessment of the Minor Spice 

Cooperative Marketing Society provides a 

performance and an impact analysis on the 

subsectors and also insight on the operation 

of the statutory body in the year 2008. 

Minor Spice Cooperative 

Marketing Society 


Minor Spice Cooperative Marketing Society 

(Minor Spices) is a farmers’ organisation 

Total 

Quantities of 

Export Spices 

in Pounds 

(lbs) 

5,000 

4,000 

3,000 

2,000 

1,000 

0 

4,663 

3,300 

2,050 

1,463 

- 

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 

Year 

Figure 

8 

Table 11: Quantities of Individual Spices Exported from 2003-2008 in Pounds (lbs) 

Products Exported 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 

Cinnamon Bark 1,530 1,500 - 0 0 20 

Cinnamon Ground 4,030 3,027 - 1,463 2,000 3,090 

Clove Ground 0 22 - 0 0 0 

Clove Whole 70 105 - 0 50 50 

Nutmeg Ground 0 2 - 0 0 0 

Nutmeg Whole 0 4 - 0 0 140 

Turmeric 0 3 - 0 0 0 

Total in Pounds (lbs) 5,630 4,663 - 1,463 2,050 3,300 

39

Performance of the Spice Subsector and Assessment and Impact of Supporting Statutory Association 

...continued 

Operations 

The premium spices processed by the spice 

factory in 2008 were cinnamon, cloves, 

turmeric, nutmegs, pimento, ginger and 

bay leaf. High demand for spices drove 

the activities of Minor Spices in 2008. 

Processing sequence includes; cutting, 

picking, drying, sorting, grinding and 

subsequently packaging and labeling of 

finished products. Some products such as 

cinnamon, cloves and pimento were also 

traded unprocessed. As a facility for the 

tourism attraction, the plant contains a 

spice shop where visitors purchase spice 

products. 

The operations of the spice factory faced 

tremendous challenges during the year 

under review. Procurement of raw materials 

was the most obstinate problem with two 

prevailing factors; exorbitant prices for raw 

materials and scarcity due to the devastation 

of the spice industry caused by the 2004 

hurricane amplified by intense competition 

for raw materials from traffickers. Prices of 

unprocessed cinnamon, harvested directly 

from farmers fields inflated from $3 to $5 

per pound. Prices escalated further when 

farmers resorted to the purchasing of raw 

materials from non-farmers to for resale to 

Minor Spices. 

Minor Spices was able to deliver only 50 % of 

its demand for spices within the year because 

of the scarcity in raw materials especially 

cinnamon which is the Cooperative’s most 

lucrative product. The Cooperative was 

unable to supply customers in the Barbados 

market with spices demanded especially 

cinnamon bark. As a result, there was a loss 

of potential income. 

In the past, spices were not given high 

priority as other commodities. There was 

no emphasis on replanting of spices over 

the years. The Cooperative made progress in 

developing a concept strategy to rejuvenate 

the overall Spice Industry in Grenada which 

involved the introduction of a spice nursery. 

Unfortunately, planting materials were not 

readily available. As a result, replanting 

materials for nutmeg replacement were 

replanted in the spice garden four (4) years 

after Hurricane Ivan. 

The Cooperative contests with many 

challenges and limitations, including 

detrimental financial constraints, lack of 

technical support from the Ministry of 

Agriculture’s Extension Service Division, 

high transportation cost (since the 

cooperative does not own a vehicle which is 

a necessity for procuring raw materials from 

farmers), limited machinery and no security 

presence on the premise of the spice factory 

which resulted in vandalism of the building 

on a number of occasions. 


The Minor Spices was significantly 

understaffed in 2008. Production after 

Hurricane Ivan was considerable reduced, 

consequently staff level was reduced due to 

many uncertainties in the industry including 

unavailability of raw materials. Minor 

Spices operated with six (6) employees 

including the Manager. All members of 

staff were able to perform in the various 

capacities of spice production including 

the manager, in a desperate attempt to 

substitute for deficiency in manpower. 

Processing of spices was carried out in a 

traditional manner which is characterized 

by highly intensive manual methods. 

Irrespective of the fact that the staff possesses 

proficiency in spice processing, capacity 

in customer services is needed because of 

the agri-tourism aspects of the business 

operations. Competencies in tour guiding 

and communications skills are also needed. 


Impartation 

The quality of some products of Minor 

Spices has been considerable compromised 

because of poor harvesting methods used 

by farmers. However, by reason of financial 

constraints, the Cooperative has not been 

able to provide any training for its farmers 

in the critical area of proper harvesting 

methods. Nonetheless, the Minor Spices 

will continue to encourage farmers to 

replant spices by providing planting 

materials in the future. 

Inter-Ministry Activities 

Integration 

The Ministry of Agriculture was 

represented on the board of the Minor 

Spice Cooperative Marketing Society. The 

Cooperative participated in many meetings 

and workshops convened by the Ministry of 

Agriculture, however, there was a measure 

of dissatisfaction with the general support 

provided by the Ministry. Technical support 

to herb and spice garden was especially 

needed from the Ministry of Agriculture 

in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. The 

Cooperative has been considering CARDI 

as a strategic partner together with other 

research oriented institutions to support 

and facilitate the sustainable practice of 

spice propagation and replanting in the 

near future. 


The Minor Spices Cooperative was unable 

to achieve business growth in the past year. 

Effective sales and marketing strategies was 

stalled because of the inadequate supply of 

raw materials. A dynamic spice industry 

in Grenada would require investments 

in the propagation of indigenous spices 

and mechanized processing of spices. 

Rehabilitation of the Laura Spice and Herb 

Garden must also be treated as a matter of 

urgency. 

40

Performance of the Cocoa Subsector and Assessment and Impact 

of Supporting Statutory Association 

Cocoa Subsector 

Cocoa Production in 2008 was 48% 

less than pre-Ivan levels. However, 

there was a corresponding 62% 

increase in 2008 production compared 

with that of 2007. The subsector showed 

marginal signs of rehabilitation. The value 

of exports concurrently increased with 

production by an astounding 58%. 

The Grenada Cocoa Association provided 

support to the Cocoa Industry over the 

years. The following assessment of the 

statutory body provides a performance 

analysis of the industry and an impact 

analysis on the Association in the year 

2008. 


Association 


EC$100,000 on a monthly basis. The 

Grenada Cocoa Association would have 

significantly contributed to national food 

security particularly for its 2500 cocoa bean 

farmers. The Association also contributed 

a significant 2.5% to Gross Domestic 

Product. 

Production 

in Pounds 

(lbs) 

2,000,000 

1,500,000 

1,000,000 

Operations 

Cocoa Bean Production 2003-2008 

In 2008, the Grenada Cocoa Association 

collected and processed 783,000 pounds 

of cocoa beans mainly from St. Patrick 

and St. Andrew. Fifty-eighty percent 

(58%) of the cocoa beans processed was 

exported to Belgium, thirty-three percent 

(33%) to Switzerland, six percent (6%) to 

Japan and three percent (3%) to Italy. The 

$1,507,375 $111,859 $484,531 

$1,829,987 $169,724 $783,989 

Figure 

9 

The Grenada Cocoa Association has 

been working assiduously to manage 

the cocoa industry in a manner which 

ensures long term commercial viability 

of the Industry, guided by the principles 

of commercialization, efficiency and 

transparency. Emphasis is also placed on 

prudent management of the industry and 

the provision of a business model which 

makes the industry profitable to the cocoa 

farming community. The key functions 

of the Association are to purchase, semi 

process and export the locally produced 

cocoa bean. Technical support to cocoa 

bean producers is also provided. 

500,000 

0 

7 

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 

Year 

Cocoa Bean Export Value 2003-2008 

$3,933,682 $197,408 $2,346,770 

$5,504,532 $748,180 $3,697,703 

The Grenada Cocoa Association 

made significant contribution to rural 

development, employment and poverty over 

the years. The Association’s membership 

consists of ninety percent (90%) of small 

farmers with land areas bordering 2-3 acres. 

Members are exclusively from rural areas 

and in 2008, the GCA’s contribution to 

the rural economy was in the amount of 

EC$3.6 million, with rural communities 

of St. Patrick and St. Andrew receiving 

Export Value 

(Million) 

6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1 

0 

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 

Year 

Figure 

10 

41

Performance of the Cocoa Subsector and Assessment and Impact of Supporting Statutory Association 

...continued 

Figure 

11 

GCA endeavored to achieve its strategic 

objectives for the period which included: 

unswerving negotiations with traders to 

ensure cocoa bean producers received the 

best prices possible, amalgamation with 

the other main commodity producer 

organization on the island i.e. the GCNA, 

the establishment of a chocolate plant, 

rehabilitation of abandoned cocoa fields, 

the implementation of a Farmer Incentive 

Credit Programme and activities that 

would stimulate increased production in 

cocoa bean. 

Unattractive prices in combination with the 

devastation of Hurricanes Ivan and Emily 

contributed to an apparent stagnation in the 

cocoa industry in recent years. Production 

declined by approximately 100,000 pounds 

for two successive years following the passage 

of Hurricane Ivan. The main challenges 

which affected productivity for cocoa 

farmers were the high cost of inputs and 

labour and low productivity. The industry 

also endured limited reinvestments, lack 

of research and development activities, 

dwindling cocoa acreage, advanced age 

of farmers and competition with other 

commodities for land space. 

Number 

of Cocoa 

Producers 

The implementation of some of the GCA’s 

strategic objectives, specifically, the initiation 

of the provisional credit programme, 

improvement in extension services and 

increase in prices paid to farmers (from 

$3.12 to $3.34/lbs) contributed significantly 

to a sixty-two percent (62%) increase in 

production in 2008. Production increased 

from 484,000 pounds in the previous year 

to 783,000 pounds during the year under 

review and the acreage remained 3200 

acres. However, increase production is 

vital to meet the rising market demands. 

Further stimulation in production 

is dependent on the establishment 

of a Rehabilitation Programme, the 

strengthening of propagation activities, 

focus on pest and disease management, 

more input programmes and a strategic 

focus on achieving premium prices from 

international markets, that is the use of a 

market led strategy rather than production 

led strategy. 

Grenada Cocoa Association achieved most 

of its strategic objectives including success 

in its negotiations with international 

markets for higher prices. Unfortunately, 

the merger of the GCA and GCNA made 

limited progress whilst the establishment of 

the Chocolate Plant has not materialized. 

Comparison of Cocoa Bean Producers 2003-2008 

900 

800 

700 

600 

500 

400 

300 

200 

100 

0 

$8,000 

$8,000 

$1,100 

$1,100 

$2,200 

$2,500 

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 

Year 


Twenty five (25) employees were engaged 

with the Grenada Cocoa Association. 

Generally, the human resource capacity can 

be considered limited even though capacity 

for cocoa Agronomy was adequate. It is 

anticipated that there would be a greater 

demand for recruitment and specialized 

training in the near future as the Association 

endeavours to expand its business operation 

to manufacturing chocolate. The increase 

in demand for the cocoa bean would also 

directly affect staff allocation. 

Few training opportunities were available 

in 2008, however, for efficient operations 

and high quality service, it is imperative 

that employees are trained. Training in 

marketing, chocolate making, the use of 

industrial equipment and international 

standards would be essential to support the 

chocolate manufacture component of the 

business in the near future. 


Impartation 

Extension services and low cost inputs were 

provided to cocoa producers during the 

year under review. Information on plant 

protection practices were disseminated 

through the extension services. Soil 

conservation methods were encouraged 

including the use of organic manure to 

improve soil structure and the planting 

of shade trees to mimic natural cocoa 

environment. Additionally, the promotion 

of agronomical practices as a substitute 

for pesticides usage can be accredited for 

the profitable increase in production. The 

production of 0.17% in off-grade cocoa 

was indicative of this effort. 

42

Projects for Future 

Development 

Grenada, as a high quality cocoa 

producing country, should exploit the 

numerous opportunities available. The 

cocoa bean has been recognized as a health 

food and a number of specialized cocoa 

products are beginning to emerge. In the 

past five years, the prices offered for cocoa 

has been generally higher than previous 

years. The demand for semi processed 

cocoa bean persists internationally and 

there are readily accessible markets. The 

historical importance of this product 

coupled with its environmental benefits 

has provided an avenue for lucrative agrotourism 

projects. The implementation 

of projects that would stimulate cocoa 

bean production must be treated with 

expedition and high priority in light of 

the tremendous demand for chocolate 

products on the international market. 

43

Performance of the Nutmeg Subsector and Assessment and Impact 

of Supporting Statutory Association 

Nutmeg Subsector 

The devastating impacts of 

Hurricanes Ivan and Emily crippled 

the Nutmeg Industry in Grenada. 

Compared to pre-Ivan levels, specifically in 

2003, nutmeg export in 2008 represents a 

86% decrease. Additionally, exports in 2008 

compared to that of 2007 represented a 61% 

decrease. Similarly, foreign income earnings 

from exports in pre-Ivan decreased by 83% 

whilst in 2008 earning further depleted by 

34% compared to earnings in 2007. Export 

sales plummeted from EC$9.5 million to 

EC$6.5 million in 2008. 

Nonetheless, there was a marginal increase 

recorded in nutmeg production in 2008 

over the previous year, 1,197,241 lbs in 

2007 as compared to 1,392,666 lbs in 

2008. This represents a 14.03% increase 

in collection from growers. The Grenada 

Cooperative Nutmeg Association, the 

statutory body responsible for the industry, 

also manufactured 1,484.37 kilos of 

nutmeg oil at the Marli Distillation Plant 

using 206,979 lbs of processed nutmegs. 

The following assessment of the GCNA 

provides a performance analysis of the 

industry and an impact analysis on the 

Association in the year 2008. 

Grenada Cooperative 



Nutmeg Exports in Value 2003-2008 

The Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg 

Association (GCNA) is a statutory 

organisation entrusted with the development 

of the Nutmeg Industry on the island. 

The strategic goals of the organisation 

is to increase production, international 

market share and to attract more profitable 

markets whilst maintaining high quality of 

nutmeg and mace to ensure that its main 

stakeholders, i.e. nutmeg farmers, receive 

maximum social and economical gains. The 

association is committed to the sustainable 

livelihood of members of the rural nutmeg 

producing communities. The key operations 

of the association involve the purchase and 

export of locally produced nutmegs. 

Over the years, a significant percentage 

of rural people has depended heavily on 

the nutmeg industry as a main source of 

livelihood; unfortunately, the breadbasket 

of many was deprived by the passage of 

Hurricane Ivan in 2004 which destroyed 

over 80 % of the industry. Presently, the 

main nutmeg producing areas are in St. 

Andrew and St. Patrick which account for 

approximately 64% of production. 

The industry remains critical, not only 

for rural development, but national 

development as well. Export of nutmeg 

and mace once held preeminence as the 

highest export commodity and represented 

over 65% of all agricultural exports in 2003 

which generated revenue of EC$39.5 million 

(Central Statistics Office 2008; Pannel Kerr 

Foster 2008). Income from nutmeg export 

decreased in 2008 to a meager EC$6.5 

million (Pannel Kerr Foster 2008). In 2008, 

rural communities received advances in the 

amount of $3 million, while in previous 

years, these communities received as much 

as EC$2 million per parish. 

The GCNA implemented three (3) main 

activities to revitalize the nutmeg industry 

following the passage of Hurricane Ivan in 

2004. The main thrust were in the areas of: 

1) Propagation of nutmeg plants which 

was done in collaboration with the 

Ministry of Agriculture. Under that 

programme, twenty-five thousand 

(25,000) plantlets were distributed to 

farmers. 

2) The Land Clearing and Harvesting 

Programme which was extended to six 

farms in which 5,888 lbs of nutmegs 

were collected. 

Figure 

12 

$40 

Export 

value in $30 

dollars 

(Million) 

$20 

$10 

$0 

$39,543,742 

$26,139,252 

$31,564,730 

$8,645,803 

2003 2004 2005 2006 

Year 

$9,825,667 

2007 

$6,528,414 


3) The Nutmeg Tree Clearing Loan 

Programme which assisted ninetythree 

(93) farmers who received a total 

of EC $61,444 under the Ministry of 

Agriculture soft loan scheme (AEDP). 

Other notable interventions that were 

intended to support the revitalization efforts 

of the nutmeg industry include a grant of 

EC $ 91, 000 provided by the Grenada 

Rural Enterprise Development Project 

(G-REP) to support the Epicotyl Grafting 

Project intended to significantly boost the 

production of planting material and the 

assistance received by the International 

44

Performance of the Nutmeg Subsector and Assessment and Impact of Supporting Statutory Association 

...continued 

Trade Centre in providing technical 

expertise and coordination in developing a 

comprehensive strategy for the resuscitation 

of that pivotal subsector. 

Operations 


Association collects, processes, exports and 

also manufactures a significant amount of 

nutmegs to produce nutmeg oils. Processed 

nutmegs were exported to the following 

markets; 31.8% to Holland, 19% to 

Canada, 18.7% to the United States and 

30.3% to other international and regional 

markets. 

Evidently, the GCNA was unable to meet 

demands on of the world’s market for 

nutmegs due to inadequate supply. The 

maintenance of the GCNA market share 

is a critical issue, however, the Association 

attempted and has been successful in 

maintaining its status as the leading 

supplier of high quality nutmegs. In future, 

emphasis must be placed on adherence to 

international quality standards in order to 

ensure consistent high quality production. 

Due diligence must be given to stimulating 

production. Approximately 2500 nutmeg 

farmers delivered 2008’s production. 

Nutmeg farmers were faced with some 

major challenges which have been impeding 

maximum production. These problems 

were; inadequate financing for land clearing 

which was compounded with high labour 

cost (farmers were not getting the quantum 

of work to compensate for wages paid). 

There are many nutmeg farms which are 

still inaccessible (due largely to the effects 

of Hurricane Ivan). There was also a scarcity 

of planting materials available to farmers. 

A notable increase in the incidence of the 

nutmeg wilt (or root rot disease) affected 

many farms during the year under review. 

It was reported that, on average, losses of 

trees attributed to the disease was as high as 

30 % and this development, no doubt, has 

significantly affected production. 

Another critical problem was the price 

offered to nutmeg farmers. The GCNA 

was unable to pay the price anticipated 

by farmers based on the economical 

constraints caused by the low volume of 

nutmegs processed. However, in order for 

farmers to be able to maximize harvesting, 

it was necessary that they receive prices of 

$3 per lbs or more, in order to fund high 

expenditures for land clearing and nutmeg 

harvesting. For this and other reasons, a 

Quantity 

in Million 

Pounds 

(lbs) 

Export in 

Thousand 

Pounds 

(lbs) 

6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1 

0 

500 

400 

300 

200 

100 

0 

Nutmeg Exported in Quantity 2003-2008 

5,208,924 

2003 

470,907 

2003 

4,169,382 

2004 

391,815 

2004 

significant amount of uncollected nutmegs 

remained in the fields. Increase nutmeg 

harvesting would improve production level 

and increase the capacity to respond to 

international market demands which could 

influence better prices. 

The GCNA took responsibility for 

insufficient production for the period, 

however, the Association was unable to 

increase its assistance to nutmeg producers 

4,232,615 

2005 

Year 

192,079 

2005 

Year 

1,474,571 

2006 

Mace Exported in Quantity 2003-2008 

24,081 

2006 

1,792,010 

2007 

28,780 

2007 

707,029 


36,506 


Figure 

13 

Figure 

14 

45

Performance of the Nutmeg Subsector and Assessment and Impact of Supporting Statutory Association 

...continued 

because of its limited financial resources. 

Some of the programmes introduced such 

as the farm rehabilitation, land clearing, 

and harvesting of nutmegs in abandoned 

fields together with the government’s 

rehabilitation programme and farmers 

own initiatives, contributed to the slight 

increase in nutmeg collection recorded in 

the year under review. In the land clearing 

programmes, 30% of nutmeg sales from 

fields cleared were retrieved for loan 

repayments, whilst the Association also held 

30% of the revenue from sales of nutmegs 

on abandoned fields. 

Limited research activities were conducted 

in 2008, however, emphasis was placed on 

propagation. Selected seeds with desirable 

traits such as high quality mace, large fruit 

size and tree conservation were identified 

and used for propagation. Seeds laboratory 

tested for saffrole by an international 

pharmaceutical company were also 

propagated. Farmers with this specific 

type of nutmegs received a premium price 

of $3.50 per pound from the company. 

GCNA also fostered a relationship with the 

University of the West Indies to identify 

areas where research would be needed. 

In addition to the inadequate research 

and development activities conducted by 

the GCNA, some critical problems which 

impeded the profitability of the organization 

in the past affected the Association again 

in 2008. These were: inadequate market 

research, absence of a comprehensive 

marketing strategy, deficiency in new 

product development, heightened trade 

freight cost, limited finances, inadequate 

production and most recently, competition 

for substitutes to the nutmeg products. 

The Nutmeg Association is also cognizant 

of many opportunities to increase the value 

in returns to nutmeg producers, such as 

opportunities for agro-processing to extract 

essential oils such as oleoresin, the increase 

in demand for low aflatoxin and also the 

demand for organic nutmegs. There is 

therefore a critical urgency to stimulate and 

enhance nutmeg production in Grenada. 

The potential competition from other 

nutmeg producing countries specifically, 

Jamaica, Brazil, India and Papa New Guinea 

must also be taken into consideration. 


Generally, human resources available for 

the operation at the GCNA in 2008 were 

inadequate. This was the case especially 

in the capacity of quality assessment. It is 

imperative that the organization adhere to 

international standards such as the necessary 

product testing, documentations of results, 

recording, monitoring of stations, and 

compliance to HACCP regulations. 

An Officer functioned provisionally in 

the capacity for the past year with basic 

understanding of the processes, however, 

a qualified professional with accreditation 

in Biology, Chemistry and exposure to 

international standards such as HACCP, 

Codex and ISO, should have been employed. 

Much of the work in the department, 

including moisture testing was forwarded 

to the Produce Chemist Laboratory where 

a fee was paid for services provided. The 

Grenada Bureau of Standards also provided 

assistance upon request. The GCNA has 

not been able to hire a Quality Officer due 

to its financial constraints in the past year. 

The Association also functioned with one 

Field Officer to monitor field operations for 

approximately 6000 farmers. 

Capacity building is a critical necessity for 

the GCNA. Station Managers and Field 

Officers should be trained in HACCP 

to improve awareness and adherence to 

food standards and its importance when 

processing a food. Other employees 

especially those at collection stations need 

to acquire computer skills so that the 

computerization of the operations of the 

GCNA can be realized. 


Impartation 

In collaboration with the Pest Management 

Unit and the Grenada Cocoa Association, 

the GCNA established demonstration 

plots in St. Andrew Bellevue Estate, St. 

George Estate, Purcell’s Estate and some 

other selected farms. The GCNA has 

also distributed flyers with the prescribed 

procedures for planting and care for 

plantlets. No training was given to farmers 

for the period under review. The Epicotyl 

Grafting Project, partially funded by the 

G-REP, was implemented. The grafting 

technique was expected to improve the 

overall quality of planting materials made 

available to farmers. 


Integration 


Association benefited from harmonious 

relationship with the Ministry of 

Agriculture. The Association also fostered 

good relationship with the Pest Management 

Unit and requested assistance and advice 

from subject specialists at the Ministry of 

Agriculture. Additionally, the GCNA has 

been in discussion with the Grenada Cocoa 

Association in consideration of possible 

amalgamation. The merger of these two 

associations is expected to yield numerous 

benefits including cost effectiveness, 

improved organizational operations, 

an apt business model and structured 

markets. The progress of merger activities 

remains dependent on farmers’ request for 

capitalization of the GCNA prior to the 

amalgamation. 

46

Projects for Future 

Development 

The development of the nutmeg industry 

in Grenada is essential for Economic 

Development. All stakeholders would 

be required to work forcefully and 

conscientiously to ensure the future 

progress and incessant development of 

this sub-sector. It is imperative that any 

strategic plan for future development 

of the industry must be inclusive of the 

following critical areas: programmes 

to stimulate production, research and 

development, development of germplasm 

bank, manufacturing facilities that would 

encourage the processing of value added 

products and most importantly, the 

modernization of all processing plants 

with ISO and HACCP certification which 

is critical since in the near future quality 

regulations and standards enforced by 

the European Market may prove to be a 

major barrier to nutmeg trade. 

47

Ministry of Agriculture’s 4H Movement 

4H’ers Harvesting Fruits 

The Ministry of Agriculture continues 

to advocate practical involvement of 

young people in Agriculture. This 

role of the Ministry is essential considering 

the current situation of an unprecedented 

high age rate of the farming community. 

The involvement of youths in agriculture 

is critical for the sustainability of Grenada’s 

agriculture industry. In a collaborative 

effort with the Ministry of Education, the 

Ministry of Agriculture’s 4H subdivision 

promotes agriculture at the primary school 

level. In 2008 Grenada’s 4H Movement 

consisted of two thousand six hundred 

young people (2600) from fifty-six (56) 

clubs. 

In the year under review, the 4H movement 

embarked on a number of agricultural 

projects in the areas of Livestock and 

Poultry Production and Management, 

Vegetable Production, Food Preparation, 

Agro-processing and Arts and Crafts. 

Training for 4H’ers was also provided 

in these areas. The Movement also 

participated in the 2008 World Food Day 

Celebrations where many of their products 

were placed on display. The 4H Movement 

endeavours to cultivated dynamic youth 

leaders in agriculture. Activities such as 

leadership training and recognition of 

outstanding leaders were carried out to 

foster this extremely pertinent life skill. 

Outstanding junior 4H’ers for 2008 were 

therefore recognized at the Movement’s 

annual 4H Achievement Celebrations 

whilst senior leaders (inclusive of teachers 

with responsibility for the 4H Movement) 

received leadership training at the annual 

convention which was held at the National 

Stadium on May 20th 2008. 

The tremendous successes of the 4H 

Movement in 2008 can be measured by 

its contribution to agriculture production 

and development. Livestock production 

(poultry and rabbits) amounted to 16,046 

pounds which was sold to community 

members, supermarkets and to a lesser extent 

the National School Feeding Programme. 

In the schools’ backyard gardens, 14,864 

pounds of produce were harvested which 

includes beans, bananas, cucumbers, egg 

plants, okras, sweet and seasoning peppers, 

corn, pigeon peas, bluggoes, celery, 

chive and thyme, lettuce, pumpkins and 

cauliflower. Over 2000 pounds of fruits 

and vegetables were sold at a cheaper rate 

than other suppliers to the School Feeding 

Programme. Funds received from the sale 

of agriculture produce were reinstated into 

project activities of the Movement. 

Generally, in 2008, 4H’ers exhibited great 

enthusiasm and commitment to Movement 

and Agriculture Development. Innovative 

strategies implemented by leaders and 

individual club initiatives were intrinsically 

responsible for spurring enthusiasm 

among 4H’ers. Some of those activities 

include debates, camping activities, 

hiking, community work (which includes 

feeding the elderly programmes), support 

services for schools and the 4H King and 

Queen Show. The momentum of the 4H 

Movement in 2008, after forty-nine (49) 

years of existence was extremely heartening. 

Perhaps the concrete establishment of the 

4H Movement at the secondary education 

level would be even more rewarding to 

Grenada’s agriculture sector. 

48

Ministry of Agriculture’s Projects and Programmes to Support 

Agriculture Development 

Mr. Brendon James’ Farm, Pearls, St. Andrew 

The Ministry of Agriculture engaged 

and supported financially a number 

of projects and programmes in 

order to support activities in the agriculture 

industry. The Projects and Finance 

Division assumes the responsibility for 

this undertaking projects in the Ministry. 

The following assessment of the Division 

provides insight on projects and programmes 

facilitated by the Ministry of Agriculture 

and also operations within the Division in 

the year 2008. 

Projects & Finance 

Division 


The Projects and Finance Department 

is a sub-division of the Administration 

Department of the Ministry of Agriculture 

which manages all capital projects and 

programmes of the Ministry, both internal 

and externally funded. Projects and 

Programmes are undertaken to support 

the Ministry’s vision of achieving national 

food security, increase economic returns 

of stakeholders and contribute to the 

production of high quality food products. 

A number of programmes are implemented 

by the Ministry annually while new ones are 

geared towards building specific capacities 

in various divisions. 

Operations 

One of the most important project 

implemented by the Ministry in 2008 

was the Agriculture Recovery Project 

which budgeted $2.5 million with actual 

spending of $1.8 million. This was funded 

by local revenue. This project focused on 

the rehabilitation of government estates, 

repairs to propagation stations namely, 

Ashenden, Mirabeau and Maran. This 

programme was expected to stimulate and 

enhance agriculture production. Another 

prominent programme implemented was 

the Agriculture Enterprise Development 

Programme which budgeted the sum of 

$3.5 million with actual spending of $3.3 

million. This programme was funded by the 

Government. The Agriculture Enterprise 

Development Programme provided low 

interest loans to farmers inclusive of tree 

crops, livestock and poultry farmers. 

While there was evidence of some measure 

of recovery in the Agriculture Industry 

in 2008, there are no systems in place to 

evaluate the effectiveness of these projects. 

Projects were implemented by various 

divisional heads, however, monitoring and 

evaluation of projects and programmes 

rarely occurred. The degree of impact of the 

projects and programmes on the industry 

was never evaluated. The contribution of 

the projects on the agricultural sector and 

rural development was not determined 

also. 


The project and finance division carried 

out routine financial transactions relative to 

projects, however, there are few occasions 

where project managers were appointed 

to manage projects. The responsibility for 

project implementation was often passed to 

divisional heads. There is therefore the need 

for a structured project department which 

may work in close collaboration with the 

Department of Planning. Additionally a 

project team to facilitate the monitoring 

and evaluation of projects and programmes 

would be a necessity. 


External investments and funding for 

Grenada’s agriculture industry has been 

minimal. In 2008, many of the projects 

and programmes were funded locally. 

However, the economic meltdown has force 

government to reduce spending or redirect 

funds to national priority areas. Financial 

support for international donor is vital for 

further rehabilitation of the agriculture 

sector, sustainable agriculture development 

and agriculture diversification. 

49

Ministry of Agriculture’s Projects and Programmes to Support Agriculture Development ...continued 

Table 12: Selected Capital Project for 2008 

Funding Institution 

Project/Programme 

Budgeted Spending 

EC$ 

Actual Spending 

EC$ 

Government of Grenada Agriculture Recovery Project $ 2.5 million $1.8 million 

Government of Grenada 

UNDP 

Agriculture Enterprise Development 

Programme 

United Nation Environmental Programme – 

Division of Technology Industry & Energy 

$3.5 million $3.3 million 

$175,000 $121,498 

Government of Grenada Support for Technical Assistance Programme $250,000 $11,278 

Government of Grenada Farm Road Project $100,000 $96,009 

Government of Grenada Farm Road Rehabilitation Project $4 million $3.9 million 

European Union SFA Farm Road Rehabilitation Project $571,559 $514,403 

Government of Grenada Food Security Programme $500,000 $127,533 

Government of Grenada Re-organisation of MOA Extension Programme $1 million $818,437 

Government of Grenada Building Capacity for Bio-Technology $109,944 $109,937 

Government of Grenada Capacity Building for National Biosafety $75,000 $74,465 

Government of Grenada Refurbishing of Propagation Stations $990,000 $302,595 

Government of Grenada Support to Irrigation Programme $500,000 $363,344 

Government of Grenada Forest Management Programme $50,000 $45,852 

Government of Grenada 

Banana Pest Control Programme (Black 

Sigatoka Management) 

$200, 000 $199,609 

Government of Grenada Rodent Control Programme $500,735 $350,630 

50

Support Received From Collaborating Institutions and /or Donor 

Community 

The agricultural sector in Grenada 

has always received tangible 

support from many collaborating 

institutions and members of the donor 

community and that was again the case in 

2008, the year under review. 


Organization 

The Food and Agriculture Organization 

(FAO) has been one of the most reliable 

supporting institutions over the years and 

its assistance to the development of the 

agriculture sector in Grenada has been 

significantly increased following the passage 

of Hurricane Ivan in 2004. During the year 

under review, the island benefited from 

technical, financial and material resources 

provided by this very noble institution. 

The following succinctly highlights some 

of the assistance received from the FAO in 

2008: 

• Support for improving the island’s 

critical Food Security Programme, 

financial, technical and material 

resources were provided. 

• Initiation of a Land Bank Project. A 

workshop involving key stakeholders 

was held with technical expertise from 

the FAO and modalities of the project 

are being worked on presently. 

• Under FAO’s national Technical 

Cooperation facility (national TCP 

facility) the agricultural sector benefited 

from a number of projects covering 

areas such as resource mobilization, 

policy advice and advocacy, capacity 

building for food, Agriculture, Forestry 

and Fisheries etc. 

• Under the SFA 2006 Financing 

Agreement (EU), FAO has coordinated 

and provided technical assistance for 

the implementation of a number of 

projects: Marketing and Promotion of 

locally grown and processed projects on 

the island, Strengthening Agricultural 

Information Systems in the Ministry 

of Agriculture, improving livelihoods 

via Agro processing etc. 

• The agriculture industry also benefited 

from the National Medium Term 

Priority Framework (NMTPF) 

programme in which the FAO has 

provided leadership, financial resources 

and technical advice. Some of the priority 

areas under that programme include: 

disaster management, infrastructural 

improvement development, natural 

resource management, new and 

value added product development, 

investment and credit, trade and market 

development and promotion, research 

and development and technology 

development and transfer. 

• In 2008, the FAO approved a number 

of Telefood projects intended to assist 

rural community groups in improving 

their production capacity and as a 

consequence, their income. 

• Assistance to the development of the 

nutmeg industry was also a major 

intervention by the FAO in 2008 

(laboratory facility development). 

• A major role has been played by the 

FAO in the livelihoods restoration 

project where four NGOs on the island 

will be involved in its implementation, 

working in rural communities to restore 

livelihoods that were enormously 

affected by Hurricanes Ivan and 

Emily. 

The European Union 

The financial support provided by the 

European Union over the years to the 

development of the agriculture sector in 

Grenada is second to none. 

In 2008, under the SFA 1999 financial 

Agreement, the European Union provided 

financial resources for the rehabilitation of 

the Boulogne Farm road. That project was 

completed at the end of the year and is now 

widely used by many farmers in the area. 

It is also a critical assess road for one of 

the Government’s principal nursery facility 

which is located in the area. 

During the year under review, the EU also 

provided financial assistance for continued 

expansion of irrigation development on 

the island. In excess of one million dollars 

(XCD) was provided under the SFA 1999 

financial agreement for the procurement 

of irrigation equipment. It is worth noting 

that similar support has been provided 

by the EU in the recent past under the 

SFA2000 and 1999 financial agreements 

which were implemented in 2004 and 2005 

respectively. 

Irrigation development has n prioritized as 

a major thrust of the Ministry of Agriculture 

in its quest to develop the pivotal agricultural 

sector. Irrigation technology provides 

farmers with an opportunity to lessen their 

dependence on natural precipitation and to 

significantly boost food production. 

In 2008, the European Union also provided 

financial support for the commissioning of 

an agricultural diversification study. This 

study is seen as a crucial undertaking as it 

will provide agriculture industry officials 

Minister with Representative of EU 

51

Support Received From Collaborating Institutions and /or Donor Community ...continued 

with reliable and credible information 

particularly as it relates to the potential 

that exist for the development of the fruit 

sector in Grenada particularly in the area of 

marketing and agro processing. 

horticulture, floral arrangement, fruit 

tree production, vegetable production. 

• Provision of planting materials: 

vegetable seedlings, fruit trees, cut 

flowers. 

The EU has also approved two very 

important projects namely: the rural 

credit scheme and the spice development 

project which will be implemented during 

2009. The Ministry of Agriculture attaches 

enormous importance to these two projects 

as it is expected that an enormous impact 

will be made on the resuscitation of the 

sector. 

The Chinese Agricultural Mission 

During the year under review, the Chinese 

Agricultural Mission provided support to 

the sector particularly in the areas of: 

• Training in: pig production, ornamental 

• Demonstration on the use of local 

materials for the construction of shade 

houses. 

• Provision of poultry equipment for 

some farmers. 

• Provide support for training of 

agriculture officers in China 

• Supply of equipment for tissue Culture 

Laboratory 

• Provision of technical support to 

farmers 

Table 13: CARDI’s Distribution of Crop Planting Material for 2008 

Sapodilla 

Crop 

Dwarf Golden Apple 

Quantities 

Distributed 

Seed 150g 

Scion 200 

Seed 4160 lbs 

(About 62, 000 plants) 

Recipients 


(MOA) 

Trinidad & Tobago 

Agribusiness 

Association 

Cashew Nut Seeds 50 MOA 

Mango - Julie Scion 5000 Private Entrepreneur 

Fig Cuttings 40 MOA 

West Indian Cherry Scion 75 MOA 

Passion Fruit 

Cuttings 600 

Seedlings 400 

MOA 

Corn 

Seeds 13.5 lbs Farmers (10) 

10 lbs MOA 

Pigeon Pea Seeds 10 lbs Farmers (8) 

Sorrel Seeds 5 lbs Farmers (8) 

Cassava Cuttings 1000 Farmer (1) 

Sweet Potato Cuttings 2155 Gardeners (15) 

Vegetable Seedlings 314,000 

Numerous Farmers and 

Gardeners 

Passing of the Memorandum of 

Understanding with UWI 

The University of the West Indies 

In recognition of the enormous pool 

of human resources that resides in the 

University of the West Indies and bearing 

in mind the critical need for improving 

human resource capability at all levels in the 

sector, the Ministry of Agriculture began 

discussing potential areas of collaboration 

between the two institutions during the 

year under review. It is expected that a 

Memorandum of Understanding will be 

signed between both entities in 2009. 

The Ministry of Agriculture envisages 

immense benefit for the industry would 

accrue as a result of that initiative 

particularly in the areas of training, research 

and development. 

Caribbean Agriculture Research 

and Development Institute 

The Caribbean Agriculture Research 

and Development Institute (CARDI) 

contributed significantly to Grenada’s 

agriculture sector in 2008 in the area of 

research. A research projects for the period 

and the results are as follows: 

• New Way of Enhancing Hot Pepper 

Productivity Tested 

52

Support Received From Collaborating Institutions and /or Donor Community ...continued 

This trial consisted of testing a new 

chemical ‘GSR calcium’ for stem borer 

control in hot peppers. 

Results: 

The application of ‘GSR Calcium’ did 

not induce any significant change in 

yield, nor did it reduce the incidence 

of stem borer. There was also no 

significant change in soil pH. The 

experiment therefore needs to be 

repeated before firm recommendations 

can be made. 

• Assistance in Developing a 

Sustainable Papaya Industry 

in Grenada An experiment was 

conducted to investigate the claim that 

Red Lady papaya is tolerant to Bunchy 

top disease and therefore make firm 

recommendations to farmers. The 

first part of the experiment, however, 

was to verify the susceptibility of a 

local variety, Barbados yellow, to the 

disease. Later, the ‘tolerance’ of the 

Red Lady variety will be compared to 

the susceptibility of the local variety. 

Results: 

The local type was indeed susceptible 

to bunchy top disease, Plate 5. The 

incidence of the disease became 

evident from as early as 52 days (1.7 

months) after planting when 29% of 

the plants showed signs of the disease. 

The percentage of plants affected 

continued to rise slowly. The rate of 

infection became more rapid from 

196 days (6.5 months) after planting. 

At 413 days after planting 70% of the 

plants became infected. The proven 

susceptibility of the local type has 

effectively set the stage for the next 

phase of the experiment in which the 

suggested tolerance of the Red Lady 

papaya will be measured against the 

susceptibility of the local type. 

CARDI also supported food security and 

commercial production for the period under 

review. This was done mainly through the 

multiplication and distribution of planting 

material to farmers, gardeners and the 

Agronomy Division, Ministry of Agriculture 

as shown in the following table. The 

material supplied to farmers was estimated 

to have an estimated economic impact of 

EC$ 8.2 million on the agricultural sector. 

Other contribution to food security was in 

the form of technical advice to many farmers 

in the areas of crop management. Direct 

financial contribution to the Grenadian 

economy was in the tune of EC$ 308, 

000.00. 

Inter-American Institute for 

Cooperation on Agriculture 

The Inter-American Institute for 

Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) 

continued to lend technical support to 

agriculture development in Grenada to 

foster the well-being of the rural people. 

During 2008, IICA conducted a number 

of activities, mainly in the area of training, 

geared towards supporting efforts to develop 

Grenada’s agricultural and rural sector. 

Following is a brief summary of some of the 

actions carried out: 

• Conducted a seminar on “Use of the 

Agro Matrix as a Planning tool”. 

Facilitated jointly by IICA and the 

Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), this 

seminar focused mainly on interpreting 

and applying the Agro Matrix relative 

to the Jagdeo Initiative, the Agro 

Plan 2003-2015, and other relevant 

Agreements to which Grenada is a 

signatory. Participants included senior 

technicians of the MOA. 

• Co-chaired meetings of major 

stakeholders in the agriculture and 

tourism sectors. The Agro Tourism 

Linkage Committee met for the 

purpose of finalizing the Committee’s 

Work Plan and assigning institutional 

responsibilities for implementing the 

Plan. This was an effort to strengthen 

the inter-sectoral linkage. 

• Conducted a Case Study of a rural 

agribusiness enterprise. Based on 

the case study, the entrepreneur was 

provided with a commercial blender, 

two stainless steel tables, product 

analysis and improved labeling, and 

entrepreneurial training. 

• Organized a workshop on 

“Entrepreneurship and Business 

Planning”. The workshop 

was facilitated by the National 

Development Foundation of Grenada 

(NDFG). Participants included some 

members from Grenada Association 

of Beekeepers (GAB), Grenada 

Association of Small Agro Processors 

(GASAP), Grenada Network of Rural 

Women Producers (GRENROP), and 

the national chapter of Caribbean Agri 

Business Association (CABA). 

• Conducted a “Business Management 

Training Course” for members of 

the national chapter of CABA. The 

course was facilitated by a University 

of the West Indies (UWI) postgraduate 

intern attached to the local 

IICA Office. 

• Organized a workshop on “Product 

Formulation and Costing”. The 

workshop was facilitated by the 

Grenada Bureau of Standards (GDBS). 

Participants included members of 

GASAP and GRENROP. 

• Carried out an assessment of 

Grenada’s Sanitary and Phyto 

Sanitary (SPS) System. This was done 

by IICA’s Agricultural Health and Food 

Safety (AHFS) Specialist from Guyana, 

with assistance from the MOA. It was 

followed up with a Common Vision 

Workshop which was conducted 

jointly by AHFS Specialists from IICA, 

the Canadian Food Inspection Agency 

(CFIA), and MOA. 

53

54 

• Provided financial and technical 

support to MOA’s Pest Management 

Unit towards institutional 

strengthening of the Unit. Thus, 

the Pest Management Officer was 

able to participate in the WTO/SPS 

Committee meetings in Geneva. This 

ensured that Grenada had the overall 

capability to become more effectively 

involved in the multilateral trading 

system.

Articles 

Dear Readers 

We hope that thus far the content of Grenada’s 2008 Annual Review has been informative 

and rewarding beyond your expectations. 

It is now our desire to further engage your psyche in critical thought of some contemporary 

subject areas specifically; Agro-Tourism, Developing a Food Security Strategy and Agriculture 

Production Statistics, which are worthy of your concerted attention and that of all 

stakeholders. These topical issues are necessary and vital for the further development of the 

agriculture industry, especially as they lend a significant contribution to increasing agriculture 

diversification. 

It is our intent that these articles presented will spur extensive efforts to promote new 

developments in the specific areas, raise innovative ideas and prescribe the ‘know how’ for 

projects and policy implementation and evaluation. 

Again, enjoy your reading! 

Editor 

Authors 

Article 

Shadel Nyack Compton 

Grenada’s Agrarian Economy – Exploiting the Niche of Agro-Tourism 

Daniel Lewis 

Jude Houston 

Why the Development of a Scientifically Sound and Sustainable Food Security Strategy, 

Programme and Policy can no longer be left on the Fringes of Agricultural Priorities in Grenada? 

Agriculture Production Data – Pivotal for Promoting the Commercialization of Agriculture in 

Grenada 

55

Grenada’s Agrarian Economy – Exploiting the Niche of Agro- 

Tourism - By Shadel Nyack Compton, Proprietor, Belmont Estate 

Belmont Estate, St. Patrick 

Grenada’s agrarian economy 

emanates out of the island’s historic 

past – from the days of its original 

settlers, the Arawaks and later the Caribs. 

Both operated a subsistence economy, 

that was directed towards the land and 

sea. 1 Prolific farmers and fishermen, their 

success was assured not only because of 

their techniques and assiduousness, but 

because of the availability of arable land, the 

extreme fertility of the volcanic soil and the 

fruitfulness of the seas. With colonization 

came the further dependence on agriculture 

as the bedrock of the economy. Plantations 

were established for the production of 

agricultural produce for export, with 

guaranteed markets of the produce to 

Europe. With independence, and erosion 

of the plantation system in favour of smaller 

farms came changes in production, trends 

and markets. 

Grenada was historically known for 

its sugar, and later banana, cocoa and 

nutmeg production. The export-centered 

agriculture has been challenged because 

of free trade restrictions and the removal 

of market protection privileges previously 

enjoyed by the region. 2 The reduction in 

some of the international markets, and 

the stiffening of competition, have led 

to decreased production for export and 

diversification into fruits and vegetables, 

mostly for the domestic market. In addition, 

change in consumer preferences for 

imported and processed foods over locally 

grown, unfriendly environmental and 

climatic changes have negatively impacted 

agricultural production. Hurricanes Ivan 

and Emily of 2004 and 2005 respectively, 

largely damaged and destroyed tree crop 

production of nutmegs, cocoa and fruit, 

resulting in overall decreased production in 

these areas. 

Correspondingly, agriculture’s contribution 

to GDP has decreased from 9.46% in 

2002 to 6.25% in 2008. Cognizant of 

the declining agricultural revenue, and the 

need to stimulate local food production the 

government of Grenada over the last decade 

has instituted a national food security 

program. With the trend towards domestic 

food security, satisfying the demands at 

56

Grenada’s Agrarian Economy – Exploiting the Niche of Agro-Tourism ...continued 

home, and satisfying the tourists discerning 

demands for local food products, agriculture 

in Grenada has refocused on diversification 

to contribute more products and services to 

the growing tourism market. “Economically, 

this would enhance employment, reduce 

the growing bill for food import and foreign 

exchange outflows, improve food security 

and increase the importance and visibility 

of agriculture in national development.” 3 

It is widely recognized that internationally 

tourism has become the popular option for 

economic growth in developing countries 

because of its ability to generate foreign 

exchange, provide employment, attract 

development finance and support economic 

independence. 4 In small island states it 

is very important to ensure that there is 

the proper linkage between tourism and 

agriculture, to make certain that the foreign 

exchange earned from tourism is not lost 

on high costs for imported food. 5 Further, 

proper linkages empower farmers, provides 

more employment for locals, promotes food 

security and local supply to the hospitality 

sector and affords locals the opportunity to 

organize into co-operatives and establish 

better business linkages. 

The region is blessed with an authentic 

tourism atmosphere. The natural 

environment, biodiversity, warm weather, 

sand, sea, sun, clean air, vegetation, and 

varied ecosystems are all benefits to be 

capitalized upon in the growing tourism 

tendencies. 6 The natural physical attributes 

required for a fledging agricultural 

economy are supportive of a dynamic 

tourism environment, resulting in the 

perfect symbiotic relationship of the two 

industries. 

Exploring the Dimensions of Agritourism 

This synthesis of the two industries, is 

what is known as Agro-tourism. 7 Agrotourism 

is travel that combines agriculture, 

rural settings, agricultural products and 

experiences within the tourism experience. 

It requires the strategic utilization the 

tourism system to reposition (a country) 

as a healthy lifestyle destination based on 

value-added products, strategic clustering 

of the supply chain and empowerment 

of the micro-enterprise sector in both 

agriculture and tourism.” 9 Agro-tourism 

ventures provide recreation, leisure, rural 

exposure, entertainment and/or educational 

products and services to the visiting public. 

It is particularly attractive to discerning, 

sophisticated tourists that are eager to 

learn about the history, culture, social, 

environmental, community and political 

issues that affect their host country, while 

still enjoying the more conventional aspects 

like excellent weather, food and beaches. 

Initially promoted as the destination of sand, 

sea, sun, and fun; the Caribbean tourism 

strategists soon recognized the challenge 

to broaden and diversify its product to 

compete in the global marketplace, by 

offering a more tangible, meaningful, 

and wholesome vacation experience. The 

values of world travelers have changed, 

precipitating the re-focusing of Caribbean 

product development. Travelers have 

become more sophisticated, educated, 

culturally aware and sensitive to the social 

and physical environment, and politics of 

the host country. 

Agro-tourism is an expansive area that 

includes several activities, events and areas. 

The notable sub-sets of Agro-tourism 

are: Farm based & Agro-Eco Tourism; 

Community Tourism; Health & Wellness 

Tourism; Culinary Tourism; Agro-Heritage 

Tourism and Agro-Trade. 10 Grenada’s agrotourism 

product has significant potential 

for exploring all dimensions of the agrotourism 

spectrum. Working farms of any size 

and nature can initiate farm based tourism 

activities that would invite guests to visit 

farms and participate in farm activities. The 

activities include farm tours, participating 

in farming activities, fruit, vegetable and 

product tastings, self-harvesting of produce, 

pony or horse rides, petting zoos and trails, 

accommodation and even dive or other 

marine ecology tours. 11 Douglaston Estate, 

River Antoine Estate, Bon Accord tropical 

Gardens, and Belmont Estate are all 

examples of farm-based tourism enterprises 

on the island. The scope of agro-ecotourism 

is significant and Grenada is bountiful in 

natural sites and regions with unique innate 

or ecological quality. Services and support 

systems must be incorporated to provide 

convenient access to and interpretation 

of the sites, and the linkage to our agrotourism 

sector should be established and 

emphasized. These involve marine ecology 

and dive tours. Ocean Spirits has been able 

to foster a strong sense of conservation of 

the turtles and have organized a popular 

turtle watch tour at Levera Beach in St. 

Patrick. 

Community tourism is a combination 

of tourism products that are offered at a 

community level to domestic or international 

visitors. 12 It allows the visitor to interact 

with locals within their communities and 

participate in rural activities. It includes 

activities like community festivals, special 

events, farmers markets, village shop 

activities, staying with a host family in a 

local village. 13 Grenada has been intensively 

developing its tourism product to include 

community tourism, and has as a result 

increased the quantity of supporting 

activities. Numerous community festivals 

have been developed to include Grenada 

Drum Festival, Fish Fridays, Rainbow City 

festival, among several other village festivals 

and competitions. Health and Wellness 

Tourism is described as combining travel, 

vacation, leisure and fun with healthy 

eating, and looking and feeling better. 

This includes spa activities, alternative 

medicines, herbal gardens, tours, teas, other 

herbal remedies, and specialty surgeries. 

This is also an area with notable potential, 

but a policy and framework must be put in 

place to introduce the concept to the private 

sector and communities. A few hotels on 

the island host therapeutic and beauty spas. 

Within the last year the boutique hotel 

La Luna added to its offerings a spa and 

wellness center, an organic garden and yoga 

pavilion, introducing new standards for 

residential health retreats and spa services. 

Grenada is well poised to maximize in this 

57


niche. Branded “The Isle of Spice” the 

island is profuse with spices and herbs. 

Spice gardens, herbal gardens, organic 

gardens, coupled with the spa and therapy 

features can all be packaged appropriately 

for the health and wellness enthusiasts. 

Culinary Tourism focuses on the 

preparation, and enjoyment of food 

and drink. The emphasis is the creation 

of international dishes adapted using 

local ingredients and the preparation of 

traditional food and drink. This sub-set of 

agro-tourism includes dinner and theatre 

packages, culinary schools and workshops, 

food festivals, tasting/buying packaged 

local products, farmers markets and tour 

of a food or rum factory. The food festivals 

above mentioned as community tourism 

initiatives, World Food Day food festival, 

are all examples of Culinary Tourism. 

Grenada continues to excel in regional food 

competitions, with local chefs achieving the 

tops positions. There is a conscious effort 

within the local hotels and restaurants, 

driven by the Grenada Tourism Board to 

consistently improve food variety, standards 

and quality, with an emphasis on the use 

of local products in food preparation. 

Grenada’s rich culture of traditional ethnic 

foods enables extraordinary potential for 

development of this sub-sector. The area 

of Agro-Trade is involves creating trade 

relationships with the business sector, 

artisans and agro-processors. This is an area 

of exponential growth potential. Presently, 

de La Grenade Industries is the largest local 

agro-processor. However, there are several 

small scale enterprises that need growth and 

development direction and assistance. 

Success Cases: Gouyave 

Fish Friday Festival & 

Belmont Estate 

Fish Friday 14 

Gouyave Fish Friday Festival (GFFF) is a 

street festival that was established in June 

2005. Held every Friday evening, the event 

focused on offering a wide assortment 

of fish cuisine to its guests, in a fun, safe 

environment where people also enjoy 

meeting friends, and listening to music 

and participating in cultural activities. The 

established goals of GFFF are to focus on 

the development and marketing of diverse 

fish products, to promote community 

development in Gouyave and the rest 

of the Parish of St. John, by promoting 

Gouyave as the fishing capital of our Spice 

Island; create linkages with other sectors of 

the local economy, including agriculture, 

craft production and the cultural arts; to 

promote Gouyave as a tourist town and 

provide diverse economic opportunities 

and generate income opportunities for the 

people of St. John. 

The festival is managed by a Board of 

Directors comprised of stakeholders and 

representatives of various interest groups. It is 

now a major community tourism attraction. 

In an effort to ensure the continued success 

of this venture, and bring the festival to 

capacity, plans are being made to improve 

the current operation and to introduce 

new activities like tours of Dougaldston 

Spice Factory, the town of Gouyave, the 

nutmeg factory, other landmark sites and 

to also offer accommodation. The festival 

is an outstanding example of a successful 

community tourism project with a strong 

agro-toursim linkage. 

Belmont Estate 

Belmont Estate is an authentic 17th century 

plantation, located at Belmont in St. Patrick. 

It is a fully functioning estate and employs 

about 80 persons from the surrounding 

communities. The concept is to offer 

visitors a unique perspective of Grenadian 

agricultural and food processing life in situ 

and help visitors to see the value-added 

initiatives that were being implemented at 

Belmont Estate. The decision was made 

for economic, socio-cultural and external 

factors. It became necessary to diversify 

the farm activities so as to generate other 

revenue streams for the business. 

However, equally important was that the 

owners thought that Belmont Estate would 

be an excellent facility to educate visitors 

about agricultural production, plantation 

life, the cocoa to chocolate experience, 

and plantation history that is so intricately 

woven into the island’s history. 

Further, it was envisioned that an enterprise 

like Belmont Estate would increase the 

tourism product offerings of Grenada, and 

would also stimulate other entrepreneurs to 

reorganize their farm activities to include 

agro-tourism products. 

The uniqueness of Belmont Estate is that it 

is the most diverse agro-tourism enterprise 

on the island. The product offerings 

include visits to the organic farm, gardens, 

heritage museum, and cocoa processing 

facilities. There is also a restaurant featuring 

traditional Grenadian cuisine, a goat dairy 

farm, petting farm, conference room, 

gift shop, café, produce shop, cultural 

entertainment, a credit union and craft 

market. Belmont Estate presently embodies 

several of the sub-sectors of the agrotourism 

market. As a farm based and agroeco 

tourism facility it offers tours, petting 

farm, and donkey rides. The main feature of 

the tour is learning of the operations of the 

organic cocoa produced on the estate for 

making dark chocolate with the Grenada 

Chocolate Company. The new goat dairy 

project utilized the milk from the goat to 

make fresh goats cheese. A full tour of the 

goat houses and dairy will commence in 

November 2009. Harvesting of fruits and 

vegetables will be introduced as part of the 

visitor activities at that time. As part of 

its community tourism activities, culinary 

tourism, it has introduced four annual 

festivals – Indian Arrival Day, African 

Heritage Day, Rhythms & Flavours and 

Creole Day, featuring ethnic foods and 

cultural activities. 

A small farmers market is included as 

a part of these events and local farmers 

participate by selling their produce. In an 

effort to add greater variety to the typical 

Grenadian cuisine offered at the restaurant, 

58


a new concept was introduced. On the 

first Sunday of every month, the restaurant 

offers different international cuisine to 

its guests. The concept is to use our local 

ingredients, herbs and spices to create 

international dishes. Community Tourism 

activities are also encouraged through its 

charity arm, Hearts and Hands. Guests 

have opportunities to contribute to and 

participate in assisting persons in need 

or to make contributions to community 

projects. The heritage museum and the 

cocoa-processing tour are Afro-Heritage 

Tourism components of the business. 

Belmont Estate’s future offerings include 

accommodations and a river spa featuring 

traditional herbal treatments. 

Recommendations and 

Conclusion 

To successfully market Grenada as an 

agro-tourism destination, it is pivotal 

that the Government develop a national 

agricultural policy that would strengthen 

and expand Agro-tourism, spearheaded by 

the Ministries of Agriculture, and Tourism, 

in collaboration with the Ministries of 

Health, Education, Culture and Trade. 

Out of this policy, a taskforce, headed by 

the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of 

Agriculture or another top level personnel, 

and comprised of various stakeholders from 

the public and private sectors should be 

assigned the responsibility to formulate and 

implement a strategic development plan 

for Grenada, and to manage the function, 

growth and development of the sub-sector. 

Foundational work on the plan would 

require a comprehensive SWOT analysis 

and an economic impact study. 

According to research done by Ms. Kimberly 

M. Thomas, there is already an existing 

agro-tourism linkage network in Grenada 

linking the wholesaler to the hotels, and 

the farmer to hotels. However, the existing 

models need to be strengthened, and 

widened to ensure adequate production 

in quantity and quality and adequate 

distribution network to guarantee market 

penetration. 15 The implementation 

plan must address strengthening of the 

matrix. Further value-added initiatives, 

manufacturing of secondary products 

for the Agro-Trade sub-sector need to be 

developed. Value added initiatives require 

considerable investments for producers. 

Thus the Government and private financial 

institutions must make viable financing 

options available to producers. 16 Allocations 

must be made by Government for funding 

and other support of Agro-tourism ventures 

for the development of the sector. Financial 

incentives, tax holidays, sound government 

policies, enrich the rural environment and 

motivate agricultural producers to initiate 

Agro-tourism ventures. 

In collaboration with the Ministry of 

Education, the Grenadian public and 

visitors must be sensitized and educated 

on the value of eating locally produced 

foods, with a strong emphasis on eating 

seasonal foods. This would encourage 

local production, and sales, and reduce the 

dependency on importing “out of season” 

foods during the off seasons. Also critical 

in this plan is the marketing of Grenada 

as a Culinary-Tourism destination. 

Tourists would thus visit Grenada with the 

appreciation for local foods, and would 

thus reduce the expectation that they would 

be mostly consuming foods that are already 

familiar to them during their stay here. 

The opportunities in agro-tourism are 

enormous for Grenada. The country 

already has established linkages between 

the Agriculture and Tourism that need to 

be strengthened and bolstered by a strong 

policy initiative, and a dynamic matrix 

of stakeholders that would develop and 

manage the sub-sector. Key to success 

is a shared vision for the sub-sector, with 

a view to increase revenue, generate 

foreign exchange and create more jobs, 

with positive multiplier effect in the 

rural community. The Government has 

affirmed its commitment to revitalizing 

and re-structuring of Agriculture and its 

keen interest in structural and economic 

linkages to other complementary sectors 

like Tourism. With the Government’s 

renewed position as the launch pad for 

Agro-Tourism, there is a renewed sense of 

optimism about the positive impacts for 

Grenada’s economy. 

1 

George Brizan, Grenada – Island of Conflict, p5. 

2 

Helen Mc Bain, “Caribbean Tourism and Agriculture: 

linking to enhance development and competitiveness, 

p7. 

3 

http://www.caribbeanagritourism.org, (accessed April 

29, 2008). 

4 

Kimberly M. Thomas, A Stakeholder Informed 

Approach to the Development of Formal Agri-tourism 

Backward Linkages in Grenada, p15. 

5 

Ibid. iii. 

6 

Ibid 

7 

Agri-toursim and Agro-tourism are used interchangeably 

throughout this paper. 

8 

Roxanna Waithe, Barbados Agro- Tourism Inventory 

Report” Ena C. Harvey, Presentation at the 7th 

Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism 

Development “Keeping the Right Balance – Sustainable 

Tourism Through Diversity” April 28, 2005, p3. 

9 

Caronlyn E. Hayle et el, Market Research on Agrotourism 

Products and Services, p7. 

10 

Roxanne Waithe, “Barbados Agro- Tourism Inventory 

Report”, p3. 

11 

Roanne Waithe, p5 

12 

Community Tourism in the Caribbean was pioneered 

by Diana McIntre-Pike, Chairman/CEO of Country 

Style Community Tourism in Jamaica in 2003 

13 

Ibid 

14 

The information for this section on Fish Friday was 

provided by Dr. George Vincent the founder of Fish 

Friday. 

15 

Kimberly M. Thomas, p58. 

16 

Vincent Amanor-Boadu, Options for Financing 

Agricultural Value-Adding Business, p1. 

59

Why the Development of a Scientifically Sound and Sustainable 

Food Security Strategy, Programme and Policy Can No Longer Be 

Left on the Fringes of Agricultural Priorities in Grenada? 

- By Daniel Lewis, Senior Planning Officer, Ministry of Agriculture 

Introduction 

Recent developments both nationally 

and globally have brought to 

the fore, the whole issue of the 

absolute necessity of developing in 

Grenada, a national food security plan that 

is scientifically sound, environmentally 

sustainable and which must be enshrined 

in the policy frame work of Government 

and implemented in the most vigorous and 

committed manner. 

In September 2004, Grenada’s agriculture 

industry was decimated by the passage of 

Hurricane Ivan. Prior to that colossal event, 

the only recorded natural phenomena that 

left Grenada as humbled and bruised was in 

1955 when Hurricane Janet created havoc 

on the island. The older folks who had 

vivid memory of Hurricane Janet admitted 

that compared to Ivan, Janet was a piece of 

cake. 

Hurricane Ivan left an unprecedented trail 

of destruction in the agriculture sector 

that shattered the hearts of even the most 

tenacious and resilient farmers. All the subsectors 

reported damages in excess of 80 % 

including food crops and the impact on 

infrastructure including roads, bridges and 

drainage systems was alarmingly high. 

A deep analysis of the resulting food crisis 

that emerged from the passage of Hurricane 

Ivan had revealed, in the most profound 

way, the absence of a comprehensive disaster 

management plan and a comprehensive 

food security strategy at the national level, 

to mitigate against eventualities of the scale 

of Hurricane Ivan. In other words, Grenada’s 

vulnerability to food insecurity was exposed 

in the most amazing way following that 

very traumatic event. 

The passage of Hurricane Emily in 2005 

dealt another blow to Grenada’s agriculture 

industry and further exacerbated the 

food security problems on the island. 

Irrespective of the fact that hurricane was 

not as destructive as Ivan, its impact on 

the island’s fragile agriculture industry and 

infrastructure was substantial. 

The global food crisis that affected many 

countries over the last 18 months or so 

was another significant development which 

impacted food access and availability by 

many persons in Grenada, particularly the 

marginalized and vulnerable in society. 

60

Why the Development of a Scientifically Sound and Sustainable Food Security Strategy, Programme and Policy 

Can No Longer Be Left on the Fringes of Agricultural Priorities in Grenada? 

...continued 

This crisis was inextricably linked to the 

unprecedented high oil prices experienced 

during the aforementioned period where 

critical agriculture inputs of all types had 

increased exorbitantly which resulted in the 

eventual rise in food prices. 

While high oil prices have been cited 

as the main factor contributing to the 

recent food crisis, it must be emphasized 

that other factors such as climate change, 

population explosion and drought may 

have a more prominent effect on long term 

food crisis. It is estimated that half of the 

world’s population could face severe food 

shortages by the end of this century as rising 

temperatures shorten the growing season in 

the tropics and sub tropics, increasing the 

risk of drought, and reduce the harvests of 

dietary staples such as rice and maize by 20 

percent to 40 percent, according to a study 

published in the Journal of Science. 

Global warming is expected to affect 

agriculture in every part of the world 

but it would have a greater impact in the 

tropics and sub tropics, where crops are less 

able to adapt to climate change and food 

shortages are already starting to occur due 

to rapid population growth. It is therefore 

incumbent on countries like Grenada to put 

systems in place to ensure the sustainable 

production of food to meet the demand of 

its population and to lessen on the reliance 

on food imports. 

With the expectation that the world 

population would double by the end of the 

century, the need for food would become 

increasingly urgent as rising temperatures 

force nations to retool their approach to 

agriculture, create new climate- resistant 

crops, and develop additional strategies to 

ensure an adequate food supply for their 

people. One of the major challenges for 

small island developing states like Grenada 

is to critically look at ways of boosting its 

food production capacity and to explore the 

possibility at the same time, to grow some 

crops intended for import substitution. 

The recent food crisis can well be described 

as a defining moment as far as it relates to the 

prioritization of food security programmes 

in developing and food vulnerable states like 

Grenada. One of the tangible lessons learnt 

from that experience, is that, no longer can 

countries like Grenada take comfort in the 

fact that food can be imported easily from 

exporting countries. In the midst of the 

recent crisis, many countries restricted the 

export of food as a means of protecting the 

food status of their own countries and this 

obviously left many importing countries in 

limbo. 

From the foregoing discussion, it is not very 

difficult to understand why the Government 

of Grenada and indeed the Ministry of 

Agriculture have intensified their efforts 

recently in order to strengthen the island’s 

food security status. 

Government’s Intervention 

In September 2008, Cabinet directed the 

development of a comprehensive coherent 

national response to the food security crisis 

facing the island. 

The Cabinet provided some guidance for 

the national food security plan that would 

be developed. Cabinet directed that the 

national response must: 

• Address the areas of, inter alia, 

production, consumption and storage 

• Provide coherence and coordination to 

the work of the many Ministries and 

State Agencies and the NGO’s and 

private sector that work in these areas. 

• Not subvert the existing markets and 

the private sector and 

• Ensure sustainability of the programmes 

and activities designed and effected. 

Cabinet has also taken the conscious 

decision to appoint a Food Security 

Committee, with membership from a 

broad based multidisciplinary background. 

The Committee is mandated to coordinate 

and provide technical advice to the cabinet 

on all matters related to food security issues 

on the island. 

It is important to point out that such a 

decision by Cabinet to prioritize food 

security is highly commendable taking into 

account the fact that the decision came only 

two months after the Government assumed 

office. 

Prior to 2008, the Ministry of Agriculture 

had been implementing a food security 

programme (as early as 2002). In contrast to 

the new approach, the previous food security 

programme was not as comprehensive and it 

was not perpetuated by any crisis, thus there 

was less urgency to commit resources and 

develop policies to sustain the programme. 

The past Government, nevertheless, must 

be acknowledged for initiating such an 

initiative at a time when food security was 

not as fashionable and urgent as it is today. 

It is worth noting that with Government’s 

unwavering support, it is expected that any 

food security plan developed would have 

some degree of sustenance as it is expected 

that Government will provide the resources 

necessary to ensure that the island achieve 

some degree of food security. 

It is instructive to point out that the present 

food security programme implemented by 

the Ministry of Agriculture is funded by 

the Government of Grenada and the Food 

and Agriculture Organization (FAO). So 

far about 2000 households have benefited 

from a wide array of material and technical 

services. The programme has been designed 

to benefit marginalized families, resource 

poor farmers, institutions such as schools. 

The current programme is intended to 

bring some relief to the poorer people in the 

community but for a longer term and more 

sustainable action, it is vitally important 

that a food security plan is developed and 

implemented. 

Strategies to Address Food Security Issues 

in Grenada 

According to the 1996 World Food 

Summit and the FAO, food security exists 

when “all people, at all times, have physical 

and economic access to sufficient, safe and 

61



...continued 

nutritious food to meet their dietary needs 

and food preferences for an active and 

healthy life”. 

This definition suggests four requirements 

for a food secure people and country. 

1. Food Availability: S u f f i c i e n t 

quantities of food of appropriate 

quality must be available within the 

country. The food source can be a 

mixture of both domestic and local 

production. 

2. Food Accessibility: Ho u s e h o l d s 

and individuals must have access 

to adequate resources for acquiring 

appropriate food for a nutritious diet. 

3. Food Utilization: U t i l i z a t i o n 

of food through adequate diet, clean 

water, sanitation and health care to 

reach a state of nutritional well being 

where all physiological needs are met. 

4. Stability: There should not be risks 

to households and individuals access 

to food as a consequence of sudden 

shocks (e.g. hurricane, economic crisis 

etc.) or cyclical events (e.g. seasonal 

food insecurity). 

Some of the strategies that can be used to 

address food security issues at the national 

level in Grenada are: 

• Boosting Agriculture Production and 

Productivity. 

This is a very important strategy and is 

intended to improve production efficiency 

by decreasing cost and improving the 

income of farmers. This would also impact 

on consumer prices as they would pay 

less. This broad strategy can be achieved 

by the implementation of a number of 

interventions which include: 

1. Training of farmers and technicians. 

2. Promotion of the use of modern 

technology (irrigation, shade house 

usage etc.). 

3. Market support to farmers. 

4. Development of cost of production 

modules. 

5. Train farmers to be more astute 

business men /women. 

6. Develop better storage facilities. 

7. Prioritize Research and Development 

activities. 

8. Create the enabling environment to 

get the private sector more involved in 

agriculture. 

9. Promote value added (agro-processing) 

as a priority. 

10. Facilitate access to farm lands for 

young potential farmers. 

• Introduce a marketing and publicity 

programme to optimize farmers’ sale 

and marketing of produce. This would 

be a very good incentive for farmers and 

will definitely instill a lot of confidence 

in the agricultural sector. 

• Development of a programme to 

ensure sustainable availability and 

affordable prices of agricultural inputs. 

The Government may contemplate 

the establishment of an input quasi 

business where inputs are sourced and 

sold to farmers at cost price. There are 

good examples where such system has 

been tried and proven successful e.g. 

St. Vincent Inputs Warehouse. 

• Implementation of a programme 

to significantly boost the utilization 

of domestic, fresh and processed 

products on the island. This could 

be done by an aggressive campaign 

in schools, restaurants, the hotels 

and the wider community at large. 

Already, the Ministry of Agriculture 

is implementing a project on the 

marketing and promotion of locally 

grown or processed produce which is 

intended to achieve the same objective. 

From a strategic stand point, that 

programme must outlive any short 

term project and must be pursued 

with a high degree of aggressiveness 

and commitment. 

Strategies to Address Food 

Security at the Household Level 

(Food Accessibility) 

Given the fact that poverty exist among 

a large number of households, a key 

concern of the food security strategy is 

develop programmes to ensure sustainable 

improvement of food access at the household 

level. Through the adoption of a number of 

policy interventions, Government can: 

1. Develop social safety nets for the most 

vulnerable. 

2. Implement some measures in support 

of trade liberalization such as reducing 

import tariffs on some of the most 

widely consumed commodities 

(intended to reduce prices of these 

items). 

3. Develop mechanisms to improve 

the competitiveness of agricultural 

production and marketing systems to 

reduce prices of locally grown foods. 

4. Market intervention to reduce food 

prices. 

Some Strategies that can be used 

to Improve Food Security at the 

Household Level 

1. Intensify training for farmers. 

2. Strengthening market systems. 

3. Conduct an in depth review of import 

policies and patterns. 

4. Improve the access of farm lands for 

agriculture. 

5. Intensify plant propagation. 

62



...continued 

6. Enhancement of germplasm bank. 

7. Establishment of concessions for 

value added activities that utilize local 

agricultural production. 

8. Ensure access to food baskets and 

other safety net provisions for the most 

vulnerable. 

Household/Individual Nutritional 

Status 

It is generally accepted that education and 

knowledge are the main tools for addressing 

that component of food security. The active 

inputs of Ministries such as Health and 

Education and the Grenada Food and 

Nutrition Council would be of fundamental 

importance in imparting knowledge as far 

as health and nutrition is concerned. 

Key strategies that could be employed 

to achieve that aspect of food security 

include: 

1. The implementation of a dynamic, 

coherent and well focused education 

programme. 

2. Development of an improved school 

feeding programme. 

3. More efficient social safety nets 

programme with emphasis on 

improving the targeted beneficiary 

groups. 

Stability of National and 

Household Food Security 

The implementation of a food storage 

policy can reduce the risks to an adequate 

food supply at the national level. This is 

very important as the absence of such a 

policy was a determinant factor in all the 

problems experienced after the passage of 

Hurricanes Ivan and Emily in 2004 and 

2005 respectively. Such a policy would 

ensure that the island has adequate stocks of 

food in high risk periods especially during 

the hurricane season that spans about 6 

months of the year. This policy must also 

be cost effective, minimizing as much as 

possible, wastage, pilferage, disruption and 

distortion to the domestic markets. 

Strategies that can be Employed to 

Achieve Stability of National and 

Household Food Security 

1. Promotion of roots and tubers 

cultivation that can withstand disasters 

such as hurricanes especially those with 

long shelf life e.g. sweet potato, tannia, 

yams etc. 

2. Enhancement of value added as a 

strategy to avoid wastage especially 

during periods of high production 

of seasonal crops and as a means of 

safeguarding foods for emergency 

situations (e.g. production of cassava 

farine, drying of fish, production of 

corn flower etc.). 

3. Stockholding within the current 

market system operated by importers 

and supermarkets. 

4. Educate private households to maintain 

stocks of foods especially during 

periods of potential natural disasters 

(e.g. during the hurricane season). 

Development of a Food security 

Plan for Grenada 

The Ministry of Agriculture has prioritized 

the development of a comprehensive food 

security plan as a major goal and has solicited 

assistance from the Food and Agriculture 

Organization (FAO) for the development 

of that plan. The FAO would provide the 

assistance under the TCP facility (Technical 

Cooperation Programme). 

In developing the food security plan, 

FAO would take into account the multidimensional 

problems associated with 

food security issues and has made the 

commitment to provide expertise of various 

disciplines who are expected to work in a 

very coherent manner among themselves 

and with the Ministry’s personnel and 

other stakeholders to develop that plan. For 

example, the following experts would be 

recruited by the FAO: 

• A National Disaster Risk Management 

Advisor. 

• An International Food Security 

Consultant. 

• A National Nutritional Advisor. 

• A Social Protection/Safety Net 

Consultant. 

• A Value Chain, Trade and Marketing 

consultant. 

In addition to the aforementioned experts, 

the Agricultural Development Economics 

Division (ESA) would provide technical 

advisory services in support of the 

implementation of the development of the 

food security plan. 

Conclusion 

Grenada has been subjected to a 

preponderance of crisis situations over the 

last five years including the passage of two 

major hurricanes and the harsh food crisis 

experienced over the last 18 months. These 

crises have exposed the island’s vulnerability 

to food insecurity in the most vivid fashion. 

In light of the foregoing, the Government 

and indeed the Ministry of Agriculture have 

proactively responded in a manner that 

is mature and responsible and have been 

implementing a food security programme 

(with assistance from the FAO) on the 

island to assist the poor and vulnerable. In 

the meantime, the Ministry of Agriculture 

is working conscientiously and diligently 

in order to develop a comprehensive food 

security plan for the island. 

The development of a comprehensive food 

security plan for Grenada is not a choice 

but an absolute imperative. 

63

Agricultural Production Data – Pivotal for Promoting the 

Commercialization of Agriculture in Grenada 

- By Jude Houston, Consultant, FAO 

It is widely accepted that 

commercialization of Grenada’s 

agriculture is the way forward. 

Unfortunately, the process has been 

terribly stymied by the lack of production 

data. Often some critical questions arise 

which cannot be answered. Is Grenada 

food secure? Which vegetables and fruits 

should be imported within a given period 

without tariff? Are we self-sufficient in the 

production of cantelopes and other exotic 

fruits? Can we support the idea of import 

substitution for root crops and tubers? 

Many of these questions can only be 

answered with the existence of an adequate 

production data system. 

The Agriculture Sector in Grenada makes 

an extremely vital contribution to social, 

economical, and rural development. 

Considering this fact, it is therefore 

essential to monitor the performance of 

sector. Up-to-date and accurate Agricultural 

Production Data is necessary in order to 

assess the impact of the resources expended 

by the Ministry of Agriculture and other 

donor agencies, to ensure informed 

decision making by national planners and 

the donor community and to permit an 

accurate assessment of the contribution of 

agriculture to the overall economy. 

As far as it relates to food security - the 

imperative of feeding ourselves, especially 

in light of the global food crisis of high 

prices and potential food shortages – 

whether or not can certainly be contended 

at this present juncture. Nonetheless, 

Agricultural Production Data helps in 

understanding the structure of the food 

production industry and the constraints 

faced by farmers in increasing agricultural 

production, as well as, suggesting strategies 

for increasing agricultural productivity. 

Cropping patterns can be studied along 

with information on the use of irrigation, 

farm machinery and improved varieties 

of seed to help develop programmes for 

increased food production. 

Agricultural censuses are also necessary for 

various reasons. The last agricultural census 

in Grenada was done in 1995. Grenada has 

not been able to report in a comprehensive 

way on the situation of agriculture within 

the country since. Over the intervening 

period, the face of agriculture has changed 

considerably. The whole island was 

devastated by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 

and was badly affected by the passage of 

Hurricane Emily in 2005, especially the 

agricultural sector. An agriculture census 

and accurate production data necessitate a 

comprehensive situational analysis especially 

as it relates to food access issues. 

Data emanating from agricultural produce 

markets and other infrastructures on the 

community level can help in assessing 

the effectiveness of the food distribution 

system. Issues related to stability of food 

supplies, such as weather conditions and 

exposure to natural disasters, can also be 

studied from the community component 

of the agricultural census. The agricultural 

census also provides broad economic, social 

and environmental indicators to show 

the background against which the food 

economy operates. It assists in the study 

of environmental issues that may affect 

agricultural output, such as forest cover, 

and the use of fertilizers and pesticides. 

Household data from the agricultural 

census may also highlight social issues 

affecting food security, such as changes 

in demographic patterns and household 

structures. 

The present situation now as far as it relates 

to the generation of agricultural data is very 

limited, though some organizations may be 

able to provide actual production on certain 

commodities, by and large, agricultural 

production statistics in Grenada, especially 

in the area of vegetables, fruits, tubers and 

root crops are merely guesstimates. Statistical 

data is obtained on the sector often mostly 

from secondary sources which includes: 

the Grenada Port Authority, Marketing 

and National Importing Board (MNIB), 

Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg Association 

(GCNA), Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), 

Grenada Cocoa Association (GCA) as 

well knowledgeable personnel involved or 

related to specific crops and or livestock at 

either production, processing or marketing 

levels. Often, for official documentations, 

data related to purchases of fresh produce 

from the MNIB is used to estimate national 

production (extrapolation technique). 

Some persons use a general assumption 

which tend indicate that MNIB purchases 

15% of local production. On the basis of 

this assumption, the national production is 

estimated. The extrapolation technique is 

often based on Raising Factors to represent 

production passing through other markets 

such as hotels, groceries and the public 

market. 

Some agriculture subsectors are particularly 

problematic where guesstimates are 

concerned. Very often, it’s almost impossible 

to estimate production. A classical example 

of this problem is in the livestock sub 

sector. 

The livestock industry in Grenada revolves 

around cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, broilers, 

layers and bees. The slaughtering of animals 

for households consumption is undertaken 

at two public abattoirs in the island as well 

as by itinerant butchers and farmers at the 

community level. Animals slaughtered 

at public abattoirs are certified by Public 

Health Inspectors; however, there is an 

absence of records for number of animals 

slaughtered by type and carcass weight. It 

is also felt that the majority of sheep, goats 

and pig slaughtered are undertaken by 

butchers and farmers at the community 

level. It is unknown what percentage of 

domestic fresh meat production originates 

from this latter practice. 

It is against this background that 

methodologies and technologies need to 

be applied towards the provision of timely, 

reliable and comprehensive production 

statistics within the Ministry of Agriculture. 

Taking account of its resource limitations, 

the Ministry of Agriculture should embrace 

whole heartedly the assistance being offered 

by the European Commission through 

the Food and Agriculture Organization 

64

Agricultural Production Data – Pivotal for Promoting the Commercialization of Agriculture in Grenada 

...continued 

with its Special Framework of Assistance 

(SFA 2006), which is providing resources 

for implementation of the project: 

“Strengthening Agriculture Information 

System in the Ministry of Agriculture for 

Grenada”. 

This project is intended to build 

government’s capacity to regularly collect 

and analyse data to facilitate informed 

decision making, particularly, for effective 

assessment of agricultural project assistance 

in general , and to prepare ground for 

undertaking an agricultural census in 

2011. The project would therefore provide 

staff and financial resources to allow the 

Ministry of Agriculture to provide data 

on the agricultural sector which are as 

comprehensive as possible. Furthermore, it 

would assist the staff of the Ministry to plan 

the development of statistical information 

on the agricultural sector in Grenada. In 

this regard, this assistance would be an 

important precursor to conducting the 

national agricultural census under SFA 

2007 financing agreement. 

The focus of the project would be on 

providing the inputs that the Ministry 

of Agriculture is not currently able to 

provide from its own resources. At the 

same time, the project will work with the 

staff of the Ministry to ensure that, via the 

assistance, steps would be taken towards the 

establishment of a self-sustaining system for 

producing national agricultural production 

statistics and related information and 

analysis. 

During the implementation of the project 

the Ministry of Agriculture should prepare 

or make it part of its objective to highlight 

the impact of the project and maintain its 

sustainability. This can be achieved through 

the underlined activities: 

• Change the system of data collection 

from manual to electronic. This would 

facilitate the electronic transfer of field 

data to the Statistical Unit in Ministry 

of Agriculture, bypassing the editing 

and data entry exercises, reducing 

processing time and facilitating 

dissemination of information to end 

users. This process would require 

the use of mobile devices (for 

example palmtops) which would be 

programmed to collect the data sets 

(similar to electronic questionnaires) 

with built-in “field edit” queries to 

validate data quality at entry. 

• Further training of the Statistician 

assigned to the Statistical Unit in the 

Ministry of Agriculture, in the field 

of sampling with special reference to 

agriculture and agricultural related 

surveys. 

• Retraining of field personnel in the 

use of electronic data capture in the 

field including submission of collected 

to Head Office via the Internet. 

• Training of field personnel in field 

interviewing techniques including 

guidelines for the collection of the new 

data sets. 

• Recruitment of IT personnel for 

data processing and ancillary related 

activities. 

• Ensuring that reports on agricultural 

production surveys would be submitted 

to end-users with email addresses. Hard 

copies to be submitted to libraries, 

selected institutions, users without 

email addresses. These reports should 

include request for comments on 

scope and coverage of data content and 

format including recommendations for 

improvements. 

Accurate Agriculture Production Data 

would aid the government and others 

in effective planning and policy-making 

decisions. Policy issues that can be analysed 

using the agricultural census are: 

Study of a specific crop: Census tables 

specific to agricultural holdings with the 

particular crop – for example, cocoa – can 

be used to measure the number and location 

of cocoa growers, the distribution of cocoa 

growers by holding area, cropping systems 

used by cocoa grower, labour requirements 

for cocoa growing, etc. 

Study of a specific livestock production 

system: Census tables specific to agricultural 

holdings with the particular livestock type – 

for example, sheep – can be used to measure 

the number and location of sheep producers, 

the distribution of sheep producers by flock 

size, the integration of sheep raising with 

cropping activities, etc. 

Structure of agriculture in a particular 

area: Census tables relating to the 

particular geographic area, such as a 

district, can highlight the main crops 

grown and livestock raised in the district, 

the agricultural practices used in the 

district in comparison with other districts, 

employment characteristics in the district, 

etc. 

Inter-relationship between crop and 

livestock production: Census tables can be 

prepared showing the number of holdings 

with specific combinations of crop and 

livestock types. 

Sources of farm labour: Census tables can 

be prepared to show the types of farm labour 

inputs for specific farming systems and the 

role of household and outside labour. 

Farm typology studies: The agricultural 

census can be useful for classifying holdings 

by type, as an aid to developing agricultural 

development policies. For example, 

holdings can be sub-divided into whether 

they are subsistence or market oriented, 

and different policies and programmes can 

be developed for each group. 

65

With Agriculture Production Data 

or agriculture census, the Ministry of 

Agriculture would be better able to 

analyse trends in production which 

would allow reorientation of its 

support programmes to those areas 

which are either most in need or which 

demonstrate the best potential for 

development. In the wider society, the 

presence of comprehensive statistics on 

agriculture would indicate quite lucidly 

the impact the sector is making in the 

socio-economic life of the country, its 

contribution to GDP and as provider of 

rural employment in particular. Finally, 

donor agencies providing assistance to 

agricultural development would be in 

a better position to assess the impact 

of their assistance on the output of the 

critical agricultural sector. 

66

Meteorological Observation for 2008 

The Ministry of Agriculture’s Land 

Use Division submitted primary 

data collected from its rainfall 

monitoring stations to the Caribbean 

Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology 

(CIMH) for analysis. The Standardized 

Precipitation Index (SPI) which was 

developed by T.B. Mckeee, N.J. Doesken 

and J. Kleist of Colorado State University 

was used to investigate drought and 

precipitation in Grenada. This index is 

favourable for investigating and monitoring 

drought and periods with extremely high 

precipitation. It also has the capability 

to provide an early warning of extended 

drought periods. Positive values are an 

indication of greater than median rainfalls 

whilst negative values indicate less than 

median rainfall. 

According to the SPI index, in 2008, 

there was near normal precipitation (SPI 

-0.81) in Grenada. Similar conditions 

was experienced in 2007 (SPI -0.86) and 

2006 (SPI 0.46). However, pervious years 

2004 (SPI 2.12) and 2005(SPI 1.46) were 

categorized as extremely wet. 

Climate Change Impact on 

Agriculture in Grenada 

According to Grenada’s first National 

Communication on Climate Change 

presented in the year 2000, climate change 

impacts on tropical crops in Grenada 

is not clear. However, as regards to 

livestock specifically in Carriacou, based 

on historical data there is vulnerability of 

extreme drought which may result stock 

losses (GOG-MOF, 2000). Similarly, as 

it relates to fisheries, the breeding ground 

of seventeen (17) of the main demersal 

species may be adversely affected because 

of sea level rising over mangroves and reefs 

a consequence of climate change (GOG- 

MOF, 2000). 

Automatic Weather Station at Mirabeau in St. Andrew 

Table 14: SPI Values and Precipitation Intensities (Mckee et al 1993) 

SPI Category Probability (%) 

2.0 + Extremely wet 2.3 

1.5 to 1.99 Very wet 4.4 

1.0 to 1.49 Moderately wet 9.2 

-0.99 to 0.99 Near normal 68.2 

-1.0 to -1.49 Moderately dry 9.2 

-1.5 to -1.99 Severely dry 4.4 

-2.0 and less Extremely dry 2.3 

Table 15: Showing Average Rainfall in Inches at Selected Monitoring 

Stations (2004- 2008) 

Monitoring Stations 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 

Lower Marli (North) 5.76 6.55 5.01 5.06 4.97 

Mt. Hartman (South) 5.64 5.95 4.60 1.99 4.65 

Clozier (West) 13.8 10.2 9.94 8.82 9.04 

Mirabeau Agri. Station 9.48 9.11 6.30 7.35 6.65 

(East) 

67

List of Figures & Tables 

Figures 

Figure Number Figure Name Page Number 

1 Grenada’s Agriculture Sector Contribution to GDP by Economic Activity 7 

2 Agriculture Sector’s Contribution to National Export Earnings 7 

3 The Dynamics of Grenada’s Agriculture Sector 10 

4 Comparison of Local Poultry Meat Production vs. Imported Poultry Meat 25 

5 Fish Production 2003-2008 29 

6 Fish Exports in Value 2003-2008 29 

7 Forest Trees Production 2003-2008 33 

8 Spice Exported in 2003-2008 39 

9 Cocoa Bean Production 2003-2008 41 

10 Cocoa Bean Exports in Value 2003-2008 41 

11 Comparison of Cocoa Bean Producers 2003-2008 42 

12 Nutmeg Exports in Value 2003-2008 44 

13 Nutmegs Exported in Quantity (nutmeg processed for exports) 2003-2008 45 

14 Mace Exported in Quantity 2003-2008 45 

Tables 

Table Number Table Name Page Number 

1 Estimated National Production of Fruits in Pounds (lbs) for 2005-2008 11 

2 Estimated National Production of Vegetables in Pounds (lbs) for 2005-2008 12 

3 Estimated National Production of Tubers and Root Crops in Pounds (lbs) for 2005- 

12 


4 Plantlet Production & Distribution Figures 2004-2008 13 

5 Purchase of Tissue Culture Plantlets 2005-2008 15 

6 Tissue Culture Plantlets Production 2005-2008 16 

7 Number of Farmers Receiving Assistance Under the Irrigation Programme by 

22 

Agriculture District for the Year 2008 

8 Poultry Production in 2008 (comparison percentage and value increase/decrease with 

25 

Production in 2007) 

9 Distribution of Dairy Goats by Parish 26 

10 Size of Grenada’s Forest Reserves 34 

11 Quantities of Individual Spices Exported from 2003-2008 in Pounds (lbs) 39 

12 Selected Capital Project for 2008 50 

13 CARDI’s Distribution of Crop Planting Material for 2008 52 

68

References 

Agency for Reconstruction and 

Development. 2005. Modernizing 

Agriculture in Grenada: A National Policy 

Strategy. ARD Publication. St. George’s. 

Amanor-Boadu, V. 2003. Options for 

Financing Agricultural Value-Adding 

Business 

http://www.agmrc.org/media/cms/ 

financeagbusiness_DBBAC4E22E484.pdf 

[accessed April 29 2009]. 

Brizan, G.1998. Grenada – Island of 

Conflict. Macmillan Caribbean. Oxford. 

Bruinsma, J. 2003. World Agriculture: 

Towards 2015/2030. FAO: Earthen 

Publications Ltd. London. 

Caribbean Agri-Tourism. 2008. 

www.caribbeanagritourism.org 

[accessed April 29, 2009]. 

Caribbean Agro-Tourism. 2009. 

www.caribbeanagrotourism.com/Agrotrade/WhyAgro-Trade.htm 

[accessed June 28, 2009]. 

Food and Agriculture Organization, 

Inter-American Institute for Cooperation 

on Agriculture, Organization of Eastern 

Caribbean States Secretariat. 2004. Grenada 

Plan of Action for the Rehabilitation/ 

Revitalization of the Agricultural Sector in 

the Aftermath of Hurricane Ivan. Summary 

Document. Grenada. 

Plan for Agriculture and Rural Life in the 

Americas. IICA Headquarters. San Jose. 

Mc Bain, H. 2007. “Caribbean Tourism 

and Agriculture: linking to enhance 

development and competitiveness”. 

http://www.eclac.org/publicaciones/ 

xml/2/28172/L.76.pdf 

[accessed June 28 2009]. 

Nyack-Compton, S. 2008. “Transforming 

Belmont Estate: A Strategic Plan”. Belmonte 

Estate Publication. St. George’s. 

Paul, R. 2008. Towards a Strategy for 

Agriculture and Poverty Alleviation in the 

OECS. UNDP: Publication UNDP Subregional 

Office. Bridgetown. 

Ramsaroop, M. 2007. Foundation Study 

towards the Establishment of an Agricultural 

Data Service in Grenada. Draft Report 

European Union SFA 2003: St. George’s. 

Thomas, K. 2009.. “A Stakeholder 

Informed Approach to the Development of 

Formal Agri-Tourism Backward Linkages 

in Grenada.” Unpublished Research Paper. 

University of the West Indies – Cave Hill. 

Bridgetown. 

Government of Grenada: Ministry 

of Finance. 2000. First National 

Communication on Climate Change for 

Grenada. Government of Grenada and 

UNDP. St. George’s. 

Hayle, C. 2006. “Market Research on Agrotourism 

Products and Services.” 

http://caribbeanagrotourism.com/ 

Publications/Carolyn-Hayle.pdf 

[accessed June 28 2009]. 

Inter-American Institute for Cooperation 

on Agriculture. 2007. Hemispheric 

Ministerial Agreements: Agro 2003-2015 

69

Contact Information 

Ministerial Division/ 

Allied Organization 

Contact Person 

Telephone Number 

(473) 

Email 

Address 

Agronomy Division Ms. Shira Baldeo 440-3083 ext. 3002 sjbaldeo @hotmail.com MOA 

Biotechnology Division Dr. Malachy Dottin 440-4460 ext. 3026 malachyd@caribsurf.com MOA 


Research and 

Development Institute 

Mr. Reginald Andall 443-5459/420-1334 cardignd@caribsurf.com 

Westerhall, 

St. David 

Engineering Division Mr. Raymond Baptiste 440-2708 ext. 3003 raybap@hotmail.com MOA 

Extension Division Mr. Randolph Shears 440-3083 ext. 3001 rjshears1961@yahoo.com MOA 

Fisheries Division Mr. Justine Rennie 440-3831 justinar7368@hotmail.com MOA 

Forestry Division Mr. Aden Forteau 440-2934 Michael_forteau@yahoo.co.uk MOA 

Grenada Cocoa and 



Association 

Inter-American Institute 

for Cooperation on 


Marketing National 

Importing Board 

Minor Spices 

Cooperative 

Mrs. Joyce John 440-2117/2714 gcna.nutmeg@spiceisle.com 

Mr. Andrew Hastick 440-2234/2714 gca@spiceisle.com 

Mr. Cosmos Joseph 440-5547 iicagda@spiceisle.com 

Mr. Fitzroy James 440-1791 mnib@spiceisle.com 

Mr. Milton Gabriel 443-2604 minorspices@caribsurf.com 

Lagoon Road, 

St. George 

Lagoon Road, 

St. George 

The Villa, 

St. George’s 

Young Street, 

St. George’s 

Laura Land 

St. David 

Pest and Disease 

Management Unit 

Mr. Paul Graham 440-0019/6219 

pestmanagementunitgda@ 

spiceisle.com 

MOA 

Produce Chemist Lab Dr. Guido Marcelle 440-0105 guimacel@caribsurf.com MOA 

Veterinary Division Dr. Bowen Louison 440-2708 ext. 3018 vetliv@hotmail.com MOA 

70

Notes 

71

Grenada’s Annual Agriculture Review can be 

accessed from the following website and links: 

http://www.gov.gd/ministries/agriculture.html 

Annex 

Annex 1: Food and Live Animals Imports 

01/2008 – 06/2008 

Annex 2: Food and Live Animals Exports 

01/2008 – 06/2008 

http://www.gov.gd/ministries/agriculture.html 

72 

Report designed by: AllyDay Creative Projects Ltd. | www.allyday.net

The Annual Report 

Mission Statement 

To present a review on Grenada’s agriculture sector which highlights developments, identify 

obstacles, informs problem solving and provides an outlook for future development and 

agriculture diversification. 

Vision Statement 

Grenada’s Annual Agriculture Review will be the most thorough, yet, concise replica of the 

sector’s information sort after by all stakeholders including producers, policy makers, donor 

agencies, academia and marketers of Grenada’s agriculture industry. 

Key Objectives 

The Annual Review would; 

• allow national planners and decision makers to assess the contribution of agriculture 

within the overall economy and allocate the necessary resources for its development; 

• allow the Ministry of Agriculture to assess the impact of its assistance and to plan future 

activities; 

• provide donor agencies with required statistics, information and analysis to allow them 

to formulate appropriate assistance to the country and to allow the effectiveness of this 

assistance to be monitored; 

• permit researchers, students and potential investors to use the information emanating 

from the review to great effect.

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