The Government is considering recruiting agricultural workers from Haiti to help Antigua and Barbuda expand domestic food production.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne said local agriculture faces two major constraints: water and labour. While new ponds and dams are expected to improve water access, additional workers may have to be recruited from overseas.
Browne, who was speaking on his weekly program Saturday night, said Antigua and Barbuda previously benefited from agricultural workers from Guyana and other parts of the region, but that source of labour is no longer as readily available because those countries need farmers of their own.
The possible recruitment of Haitians is still under consideration and was presented as one part of a broader strategy rather than a finalized Programmed.
Training will also be central to the expansion. Browne said agriculture must be treated as both a science and a business, with producers taught modern methods, water conservation, appropriate irrigation and commercial planning.
He noted that newer technologies, including artificial intelligence and other scientific tools, can help farmers determine how much water crops require and avoid oversaturating soil.
The Prime Minister said consistent production should be commercially viable because the country already spends more than a quarter-billion Eastern Caribbean dollars annually on imported food.
