Country Profile

St Vincent and the Grenadines is part of the Windward Island with a chain of smaller islands, covering a total land area of 389 km². The economy of St Vincent and the Grenadines is based largely on agriculture, which contributed 7% of GDP and 26% of the labour force. Over the years, the Government has embarked on a structural reform and diversification programme for agricultural sector. There have been efforts to restructure the banana industry, through the granting of fiscal incentives and farm support services. There has also been an increase in the cultivation of root crops such as cassava, eddoes, dasheen yam and sweet potato. Other key agricultural products are: coconuts, arrowroot starch, spices, as well as small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs and goats.

Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) Strategic Plan 2018-2022

For the strategic period, CARDI St. Vincent and Grenadines will focus on bananas, plantains, coconuts, roots and tubers, breadfruit, hot peppers, soursop and organic turmeric. Niche markets will be an area of focus for St. Vincent and will be demonstrated by the conducting of value chain analysis and market studies for the range of commodities but more specifically, breadfruit, soursop and organic turmeric. This highlights a shift from looking at domestic market opportunities to the export market. CARDI through its value chain work will advance industry development of these commodities, highlight their nutritional profiles and leverage their health benefits, to result in increased production arising from market development and alignment.

Download CARDI STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 – 2022