Following the closure of the sugar industry in 2005, there have been ongoing works so as to bring about a boost in the socio-economic structure of the economy. Tuesday, the agro-eco-tourism project which promises to bring tremendous benefits for the ex-sugar workers, natural environment and the service-oriented industry was launched. The launch was conducted at the Cayon Community Centre.

Chairman and the brain behind the project of the Planning and Policy Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Housing, Fisheries and Co-operatives and also General Manager of the St. Kitts Sugar Manufacturing Cooperation (SSMC) Keith Phillip said the project seeks to facilitate social development and creation of productive employment, sustainable development and environment, and sustainable tourism development.

Furthermore, he said it entails “the development of an agro-eco tourism development plan which focusses on small business projects that capitalise on the natural and man-enhanced assets of the rural communities.”

He outlined that the beneficiaries of the project will include the unemployed, business people, entrepreneurs, investors and school leavers.
 

“However, approximately 310 unemployed former sugar workers including 181 females in the age range 35-55 years old are considered the most vulnerable targeted group of beneficiaries,” Phillip added.

Project management, field activities, analysis of data, capacity building of the project team, the preparation of a development plan and a stakeholders ’ seminar, Phillip outlined the critical project activities namely: project implementation and evaluation, introduction to tourism demand forecasting, basic cost/benefit analysis and data collection and survey methods.
 

The St. Kitts/Nevis OAS representative to the Organization of the American States (OAS) Starrett Greene described the project as one that “has at its core a plan to identify potential areas for investment, job creation and income generation in the rural communities of St. Kitts. This project was submitted to the OAS in June 2007.

“After reviewing its technical merits and having regard to the important purpose for which it was designed, the OAS, consistent with its original commitment, provided the funding requested for its implementation, over a period of one year.”
 

He continued, “I wish to express my personal excitement about this project simply because it meets the goal originally established by the OAS to help mitigate the fallout from the closure of sugar and to turn many of the rural assets in communities across this beautiful land into opportunities for investments by foreign and local enterprises.”