VIDEO: PM Predicts significant improvement in agricultural production with million-dollar equipment purchase

Government Scales Up Agriculture With Heavy Equipment and New Abattoirs

The government is scaling up agricultural production with the acquisition of heavy equipment and the procurement of two new abattoirs, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Saturday, as part of efforts to reduce food insecurity and strengthen climate resilience.

Speaking on Pointe FM’s Browne and Browne programme, Browne said the Ministry of Agriculture has already received new machinery and more equipment is expected to arrive within weeks.

“A few weeks ago, we purchased two 20-ton trucks and an excavator,” Browne said, adding that additional equipment is already en route, including “a bulldozer, a track loader, a backhoe, another excavator.”

He stressed that the machinery is dedicated specifically to agricultural use and will assist farmers with land preparation, water storage and access to farms.

“This is specifically for the Ministry of Agriculture to assist farmers as we scale up our production,” Browne said.

The prime minister said the government has also ordered two abattoirs, with equipment already shipped and expected to arrive within about 45 days. Civil works for the facilities are expected to begin shortly.

“The equipment for the abattoirs has been shipped,” Browne said, noting that within “the next 12 to 18 months, we should see a significant increase in agricultural production.”

As part of climate-adaptation measures, Browne said the government will install solar lighting to support night farming, allowing farmers to work outside peak daytime heat.

“We’ll be putting in solar lights as well so that those who want to farm at night can do so, recognizing the issue with heat waves as a consequence of climate change,” he said.

Browne said the combined investments are aimed at making Antigua and Barbuda less dependent on imported food.

“We’re trying to become less food insecure,” he said, adding that while full food security may be difficult to achieve, the government is making deliberate efforts to expand local production.

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