The purpose of the meeting is to formulate an Agriculture Plan of Action to help revitalize the agricultural sector in the OECS.

Ministers of Agriculture from OECS member countries met recently to attend the 1st Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Agriculture of the OECS.

The purpose of the meeting was to deliberate on a ten year Agriculture Plan of Action to help revitalize and develop the agricultural sector in the OECS for the period 2012 to 2022.

The meeting focused on specific goals for the region. The issue of food and nutrition security within OECS member countries as well as the rising food import bill came up for discussion. The possibility of increasing and diversifying exports from member countries as well as adding value to OECS products were also discussed.

Coming out of the meeting, it is expected that an Agricultural Task Force will be formalized to serve as an advisory body to the Council of Ministers. An extensive public sensitization campaign will be designed to implement the Agriculture Plan of Action within OECS countries utilizing all media groups. It is expected that various components of the plan will be spearheaded by different member states. The 1st Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Agriculture of the OECS was held in Kingstown, Saint Vincent on March 27.