15
Strategic Priority – Agriculture and Food Security
Strategic Priority
Sector
Allocation
Agriculture and Food Security
Agriculture
500.914
TOTAL
500.914
Agriculture
59.
Government’s goal of becoming a Food-Secure Nation by 2015, falls primarily within the
mandate of the Ministry of Food Production. To achieve this goal efforts will be undertaken to
develop a highly productive agricultural sector, that is modernised and internationally
competitive, generates sustainable jobs and incomes for producers, and meets the needs of the
population for locally grown food.
60.
In order to build the competitiveness of the sector and to ensure its sustained contribution
to economic diversification Government will address a number of challenges that have affected
the Sector, specifically flooding, praedial larceny, land tenure issues and low levels of
technology. Government has adopted a strategy of nine (9) key initiatives.
61.
To address the challenges and to revitalise the sector over the medium term these
strategies are:
•
increasing agricultural production, distribution and access
•
developing a water resources management strategy
•
improving land management and the tenure of farmers
•
expanding source markets for imports
•
encouraging youth participation in the sector
•
encouraging higher levels of productivity of locally produced goods
•
encouraging the consumption of healthy, locally produced food
•
creating the linkages between agriculture and other productive sectors
•
control of food inflation
62.
The Ministry of Food Production Action Plan will be used to continue to guide the work
programme and activities of the Ministry. Objectives of the plan are to: increase the production
of food locally; to ensure the reduction in the food import bill; further the reduction in the food
inflation rate; create sustainable, long-term productive employment in the Sector; and increase
the Sector’s contribution to GDP from 0.4 percent to three percent by 2014.
63.
Consequently, six (6) commodity groups – staples, vegetables, legumes and pulses, fruits,
livestock and aquaculture have been identified as priority areas for increased production so as to
