Annual Agriculture Review 2008 - Government of Grenada

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.
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