The Antigua and Barbuda government is considering recruiting agricultural workers from Haiti to help address labour shortages and increase local food production.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Antigua and Barbuda’s agricultural sector is being affected by two major challenges: inadequate access to water and a shortage of farmworkers.

Browne said the government intends to address the water problem by constructing more ponds and dams. Some farmers could also be relocated from areas without suitable natural water sources.

He said Antigua and Barbuda previously attracted agricultural workers from other Caribbean countries, particularly Guyana, but that source of labour is no longer readily available.

“We are thinking about bringing in some labourers from Haiti,” Browne said.

The prime minister said Antigua and Barbuda needs larger and more productive farms because subsistence farming alone cannot satisfy the country’s food needs.

He said the government wants farmers to expand production and treat agriculture as a business, noting that Antigua and Barbuda imports more than EC$250 million worth of food annually.

The proposed recruitment of Haitian workers would form part of the government’s wider effort to strengthen food security and reduce Antigua and Barbuda’s dependence on imported food.

Source: Antigua News Room VIDEO: Antigua and Barbuda Considers Recruiting Haitian Workers to Boost Agriculture.