ANTIGUA | AGRICULTURE IN RUINS: UPP's Watts Blasts Government as Dunbars Workers Idle and Food Security Withers

St. John's Antigua,  April 17, 2025 - While the nation braces for economic turbulence from Trump's new tariffs, Opposition Agriculture Spokesman Algernon "Serpent" Watts has exposed a scene of neglect that perfectly encapsulates the Browne Administration's agricultural policy – the abandoned Dunbars Agricultural Station, once bulldozed for housing, now reclaimed by weeds and wilderness.

"The site is completely overgrown again. All the money spent on heavy-duty equipment has gone down the drain and there's nothing to show for it," the St. George representative told REAL News in a scathing assessment of what he calls agriculture's "deliberate abandonment" under the current government.

The saga of the Dunbars workers exemplifies this neglect. According to Watts, these skilled agricultural professionals have been caught in a bureaucratic limbo since their workplace was razed in January 2024. The promised relocation to Bethesda, where two unused show houses were to be converted into Ministry offices, remains unfulfilled as repairs at the site are reportedly only now beginning.

Even more troubling is what happened in the interim. While the new Permanent Secretary allegedly insisted that Dunbars workers should be reassigned to other agricultural stations this past January, inside sources reveal this directive collapsed in practice. The reason? The vehicle meant to transport staff at these other stations has been out of commission for three months, leaving workers stranded.

Prior to January's reassignment attempt, Watts alleges an even more damning reality – that Dunbars workers had spent the preceding year at home on full pay, their expertise wasted while food prices soared. Now, those same workers are technically assigned to facilities that cannot properly accommodate them, creating a bottleneck of underutilized agricultural talent.

The irony is not lost on Watts, who pointed to Prime Minister Gaston Browne's August 2022 commitment to a CARICOM agreement aimed at reducing regional food imports by 25% by 2025.

"Where is the plan to achieve this?" Watts demanded, as the prospect of higher inflation looms with new US tariffs and steep port fees on Chinese-made vessels, including those used by Tropical Shipping.

Amid this agricultural disarray, Watts is calling for Agriculture Minister Anthony Smith, Jr. to outline concrete steps to support local farmers in ramping up production before the situation deteriorates further.

"What exactly is the Minister doing to help produce and livestock farmers increase local production?" Watts demanded, pointing directly to the government's responsibility as food prices continue to climb.

"In eleven years, the Browne Administration has churned through five agriculture ministers," Watts observed, "and not one of them has done anything significant to arrest the decline of the sector, never mind enhance it."

As food security concerns mount, experts caution that neighboring islands like St. Vincent and Dominica, which currently export produce to Antigua and Barbuda, may soon be forced to prioritize their own domestic needs – potentially leaving Antiguans facing empty market stalls and higher prices.

With climate change already threatening regional agriculture and global supply chains growing increasingly unreliable, the opposition spokesman insists immediate action is required.

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