Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture on Nevis, Huey Sargeant, has expressed satisfaction with ongoing work by the Public Works Department (PWD) on the construction of a cold storage facility at the government owned farm at Prospect on the outskirts of Charlestown.
He voiced his opinion following a recent visit to the construction site by a team from the Ministry of Communications and Works led by Spencer Brand, who heads the ministry.
“We want to thank the Ministry of Communications and Works and more specifically the building team of the Public Works Department for assisting the Ministry of Agriculture in the construction of our refrigeration facility for fruits and vegetables produced on Nevis. … “The Ministry of Agriculture is pleased with the pace and quality of work that is being undertaken by the Public Works Department, the professionalism and diligence must be commended and we once again thank them for their assistance in our time of need. This assistance comes at a significant cost savings to the Nevis Island Administration,” Sargeant said.
Image: NIA
Sargeant explained that the project was approved by the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) in early 2020 and began with a private contractor, adding that the project is an important one for Nevis, and comes at a time when the ministry is actively involved in implementing measures aimed at strengthening the island’s food security.
“Food security is extremely important in these times, and it was an urgent need for the department and ministry to be in a position to store produce once cultivated here on the island. We are in the middle of a programme to improve and increase the production and one of the weaknesses in our system was the inability to store fresh produce.”
Source: sknvibes.com
NIA