Farmers and Agricultural Officials in Anguilla are re-strategizing their way forward in the face of the present economic crisis.
Some weeks ago the Farmers' Association and the Agricultural Department met with Ministers of Government and other high level officials and toured the island’s farming facilities.

Angriculture produce on farm lands

The plan was to show Government, first hand, the activities and resulting items that were produced locally and to lobby for Government aid, mainly in marketing and distribution.
Director of Agriculture Mr. William Vanterpool said his department was supporting the Farmers Association request for a Marketing Officer. He noted that they took Government Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, and Heads of Department “into the field to see exactly what the farmers were doing.”
Mr. Vanterpool said that since the visit, because of the economic down turn, they re-approached Government and “tried to get the position of Marketing Officer and some other positions.” Government agreed to one of the positions approved for filling.
The Agricultural boss said the position of Plant Protection Officer would be created and the duties of Marketing Officer would be incorporated into that post and that of the current posts of Deputy Director Crops and Horticulturist. “The three of those positions will encompass the work of a Marketing Officer for now, until such time as the economy gets better [and] we can afford to employ someone else,” he said.

Codell Richardson (left) and William Vanterpool

Vanterpool observed that his department had asked for a Plant Protection Officer even before the Farmers Association requested a marketing person so it was agreed to work marketing duties mainly into that post. He added that he felt there was a favorable response from the Ministers “with many pledges from them that things would improve” but, with the financial situation, “nothing has come yet.”
Mr. Vanterpool reported that some farmers had issues with the availability of water and the department was trying to get Government to reduce the water rates. He said, however, he was confident that things would improve. He added, “Things [were] looking pretty good” after recent meetings with the Permanent Secretary responsible for Agriculture and the Farmers' Association. Areas flagged for assistance included technical assistance and a lowering of imports on produce that was being locally grown.
According to Vanterpool, much of Government’s support would come through the Department of Agriculture. “Once the resources are channeled through my department I will carry out their (Government’s) mandate,” he said.
Farmer Cordell Richardson said he did not see the economic downturn presently having a big impact on local farmers: “At the end of the day people got to eat and the trend that the farmers have taken is producing more organic stuff. A lot more people are health conscious so it hasn’t really affected us that much as yet.”

Agriculture produce on farm lands

Mr. Richardson noted that there was a little less production but it was not significant. He cited some of the regular challenges, which included marketing, and gave an example of his produce. “I just had over 1,200 tomato trees at the airport [cultivation plot] and produced over 30-something thousand pounds of tomatoes. The market in Anguilla was slow…We didn’t have the appropriate channels to get these particular products into the supermarkets or the restaurants and I had to end up exporting to St. Maarten.”
Richardson eventually exported 4,000 pounds of tomatoes to one supplier in St. Maarten. He said he did not feel good having to export when his first preference is Anguilla which is importing the same vegetables.
Richardson’s 1,200 plants produced over 30,000 pounds of tomatoes in four to five weeks of harvesting. The tomato plants themselves took some 70 to 75 days to grow from seeds to the stage where they bore fruit ready to be picked.
According to Richardson, farming has much potential in Anguilla.

Another of the farms

He praised the Agricultural Department for being instrumental in helping farmers get started with more organic methods, especially in terms of acquiring supplies from overseas.
The young farmer, who started out by helping his mother grow peppers in her backyard garden in the afternoons, joined the Agricultural Director to encourage other young people to get involved in farming, even at the backyard level. They noted that, although it was “hard work”, it was a good source of income.

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