In response to the ripple effects of recent American tariffs on imported goods, the government is accelerating plans to strengthen national food security and reduce dependence on foreign markets.
According to Dr Thomas Samuel, trade adviser in the Ministry of Commerce and technical lead on the Food Security Task Force, the Cabinet has approved a Strategic Action Plan to be implemented over the short to medium term (2025–2027).
The original plan was designed for five years, but recent developments have prompted the change. “This plan has been adapted to accelerate the pace of intervention… by prioritising and focusing on short-term crops,” Samuel told St Lucia Times.
Key elements of the plan include boosting local food production across the agricultural and fisheries sectors, preparing a financing strategy to support implementation and enacting critical legislation to support livestock regulation. The Cabinet has also endorsed the creation of a multisectoral task force to develop a national food and nutrition security policy.
“These measures are expected to come to fruition within the short to medium term period of 2025–2027,” Samuel said, noting that some actions may be realised within the coming months.
One of the more urgent priorities is conducting an independent feed nutrition study to assess the quality of current feed options, with particular focus on the poultry sector, a key source of protein for the population. Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture will explore the establishment of a national meat processing facility, aimed at improving both the availability and quality of locally produced meat.
The Attorney General’s Chambers has also been tasked with enacting new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) legislation. “The enhanced quality controls from the enactment of the SPS… will redound to the benefit of consumers and public health,” Samuel explained.
It is hoped that these interventions will help reduce Saint Lucia’s food import bill and lower its dependence on US markets, particularly for meat products like pork and poultry. “At the very least, the boost in food production… is expected to help reduce Saint Lucia’s importation of food,” he said.
Local farmers are set to benefit directly. Increased demand from distributors and consumers will raise their share of the domestic market and support long-term growth.
Samuel emphasised that this is a long-term partnership between the government and private sector aligned with CARICOM’s 25×30 plan to reduce the region’s food import bill by 25% by 2030.
He encouraged continued collaboration between ministries, producers and consumers to ensure food security and economic resilience in a changing global landscape.
Someone, please explain what specific effects American tariffs (import duties) on imports into the US have on goods imported into St. Lucia.
I’m no expert on this issue but here’s how I think Lucians are being impacted.
1. Exports from the USA to St. Lucia are NOT subject to US tariffs.
2. Supply chain for goods from the US is experiencing disruptions – scarcity of goods, labour issues, port strikes and delays. Shipping costs from the US (actually most everywhere) have increased in a significant enough way causing importers to increase their price to their consumers.
3. Because of #2. above, Lucian suppliers are having to source goods from non-US countries, paying more and further increasing the costs due to high demand low supply.
Nice try, @Not nudge! It looks like you have been retained as chief propagandist (of bovine excrement) for misleading St. Lucians about the truth.
Whereas, the Mercantile System imposed by the British Empire prevailed until the end of colonialism, it still exists under the US Empire during this period of neo-colonialism. The assertions in your points #2 and #3 are prima facie evidence of the Circular Reasoning fallacy (unadulterated bovine excrement).
It seems this generation of Caribbean citizens has never read Eric Williams’ book, ‘Capitalism and Slavery’ (is it even now on the reading list for secondary school students?); they are so easily fooled by the professional political class – professional being the operative word, here.
Let us examine the ‘lede’ (headline + opening paragraph) of this article: it is an effort of pure propaganda — possibly unintended by the writer or his editors, but definitely intended by his source!
We are asked to believe that unspecified “ripple effects of recent American tariffs on imported goods” is the cause for OUR government to respond by “accelerating plans to strengthen national food security and reduce dependence on foreign markets.” The phrase, “tariffs on imported goods” is superfluous because a tariff is naught but a single word which means import tax or import duty.
Hence, we are being sold a bill of goods (deceived) by the lede — that unspecified ripple effects of taxes on imports into the US is the ’cause célèbre’ for OUR government (only now, at the onset of the silly season of general elections) to accelerate plans to strengthen national food security and reduce dependence on foreign markets.
The thing is that St. Lucian importers have no interest in reducing their dependence on foreign markets; they have no interest in any reduction of the cost of goods that they import, nor in the reduction of shipping costs. They are always assured of a fixed profit margin… let me explain:
If the cost of an imported item into St. Lucia, for merchants, is $100 (purchase price – $50; shipping cost – $25; import duty aka tariff – $25), at a markup of 50%, the importer will make a profit of $50.
If the cost of that same imported item into St. Lucia, for merchants, is $200 (purchase price – $100; shipping cost – $50; import duty aka tariff – $50), at a markup of 50%, the importer will make a profit of $100.
Which cost structure do you think would be more appealing to importers?
The government of St. Lucia also has a vested interest in continual price hikes on imported goods; their revenue is directly linked to the tariffs (aka import duties/taxes). But election time is near, so the incumbents are looking for scapegoats far and wide (not that the opposition is at all better), in an effort to misdirect the electorate regarding the real reason for the high cost of living in St. Lucia (and its attendant food insecurity): the ever-increasing merchants’ profits, combined with the ever-increasing taxes levied on merchants & common citizens alike, by OUR own government!