Premier Wheatley urged residents to buy local as gov’t invests in food security
Premier Wheatley appealed while addressing a ceremony to observe World Food Day 2026, which was observed globally under the theme 'Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow'. The theme encourages the use of forward-thinking solutions alongside traditional knowledge to build food systems that can nourish current and future generations.
“The day reminds us of our shared responsibility to confront hunger, improve nutrition, and build food systems capable of providing sufficient, diverse, safe and nutritious food for present and future generations,” the Premier said.
He noted that recent disruptions to global fuel supplies, shipping, and supply chains have highlighted the vulnerability of small island economies that rely heavily on imported goods. According to Premier Wheatley, reducing that dependence requires action from every sector of the community.
“Food security is not simply about agriculture and fisheries. Food security is about national resilience,” he said, urging a Territory-wide response to reduce dependence on imported food and energy.
Government investments
Premier Wheatley outlined several Government initiatives for increasing local agricultural and fisheries production. He announced that Government allocated land at Paraquita Bay for expanded farming and agricultural production as part of efforts to boost local output.
Construction is also underway on a permanent Farmers Reservoir at Paraquita Bay, which is expected to provide irrigation water to farmers. The project is scheduled for completion in 2027.
The Premier further reaffirmed that the Agriculture and Fisheries Grant Policy is now in effect, with the first tranche of grants in the final administrative stages. The grants are intended to support farmers, fisherfolk, and other food producers across the Territory.
In addition, the Government has begun the process of constructing a fish landing site at the Omar Hodge Fishermen’s Wharf. Premier Wheatley said the project will help strengthen the local fishing sector and improve support for fisherfolk.
Call to buy local
The Premier urged consumers, hotels, and restaurants to give preference to local produce, poultry, eggs, meats, and seafood whenever they are available. He said increased local purchasing would help keep money within the Virgin Islands economy while supporting local families and businesses.
“Buying local keeps more money circulating within our economy, supports Virgin Islands families and businesses, and strengthens our ability to withstand the next international disruption,” Premier Wheatley said.
He also praised the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for organising the Farmers Market and Food Fair and for promoting food-security awareness in schools and communities.
Support for producers
Premier Wheatley paid tribute to farmers and fisherfolk for their commitment to increasing local production, describing their work as central to the Territory’s resilience.
“Every crop planted, every harvest gathered and every catch brought ashore contributes to our collective resilience. Rest assured, you have the support of your Government and the Territory,” he said.
World Food Day is observed annually on October 16 and highlights the need for collective action to address hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity while promoting resilient and sustainable food systems.
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15 Responses to “Premier Wheatley urged residents to buy local as gov’t invests in food security”
Moreover, the VI should plan to produce to the maximum extent practical as much food as possible, reducing its food insecurity. Further, local food producers are in competition with external producers, which typically may have a production advantage, ie, lower per unit cost. Nevertheless, local producers must to maximum extent possible compete with imports in price, quality.,packaging, variety, service, etc. They must compete with some means of differentiation.
Buying local is patriotic, creates a multiplier effect in the economy, creates employment, reduces national food insecurity. I digress.
Across the region countries have a food insecurity problem, importing approximately 80-90% of their food but show an indifference to agriculture . Why? Some of that indifference stem from dehumanizing, exploiting, expropriating, brutal, etc. , experience with slavery and colonialism. Truth. Truth be told though, is that agriculture is more than planters on the front line. It also includes government assistance, harvesting, transportation, marketing, factory testing and processing, capital availability, shipping, etc. interestingly, while the indifference persists, regional employment is a challenge, especially among the young (15-24 years),,etc.
Shopping local requires a holistic relationship between merchants and shoppers. Stop the greed, shylocking,,2 etc., building a mutually beneficial between businesses and customers.
What is the business failure rate in the BVI and what are the contributing factors? Can the statistics department answer the question? Has the 2020 census been published? 2030 is quickly approaching. Just saying……
OWN HEALTHY VEGATEBLES WHO LOVE FARMING WHO
Lorena, Dawson went over to Guayana up to now we can't hear sh** what that produce. Stop taking us for follé boi, whats to buy local and we can't get water to wash our face for days
But so little is and so little is going to be. Fields all around Paraquita are unproductive. Our hillsides are unproductive. People have the odd mango tree in their yard and there are some great small farms dotted around. Local fishing is practically non existent and the destruction of our wider fisheries by foreign actors, actively supported under the gaze of todays politicians, most of our fish stocks have been scooped up and disappeared.
Talk of food security is completely laughable. This is no longer a nation of farmers, but more a nation of hangers out in Air Conditioning.
VI needs a complete reexamination of what its culture is.
Culture is the shared way of life through which a community understands itself, expresses its identity, passes on its values and maintains its relationship with its past, its environment and other people.
That is no longer farming and fishing being passed on in a meaningful way. It is now fast boats, bigger engines, links, big cars with tinted windows, wheelies on unlicensed scooters. Twerking in the streets virtually naked. It is destroying mangroves at every opportunity. It is the culture of SECRECY, protecting our criminals, promoting guns and protecting drug smugglers. Those are the things that are our shared way of life, how we and our policians express themselves by celebrating criminals on their "Freedom and Emancipation Trailers". Our identity is now expressed not through Christian values as the Christian Council proves every time that they no longer follow those values. But strip clubs and bars, prostitution, fast boats, fast cars, xenophobic and distasteful media (reflecting or are they leading); these how we express our culture and values to others. Our desires to legalise gambling, more gun ownership, smoking dens such as the one that bypasses the laws at the Pier Park. Our culture is reflected more clearly in the disregarded laws of the land and the complete lack of enforcement of even simple traffic rules like tint on windows, running red lights, having licenced cars. VI culture is now to throw all our garbage on the ground, litter our roads with wrecked cars, boats, washing machines, concrete and steel. Our culturally backward ways with droping our garbage, tossing plastic cups from our ferries, open burning dump sites, road side dumps sites speak volumes of who we are now. Our culture is not one of caring for our land or our environment.
Culture is not cooking Johnnie Cakes anymore, weaving hats. They are history, they are gone, culture is when you value and carry these with you, value them and blend them into what you have become. We are probably lucky we have not, as twerking donkeys is not something I need to see.
What is culture in the VI today. Not what we pretend it to be at our poorly attended culture weeks or our disrespected and derelict historical sites.
Growing food has long gone from VI culture but those that do have small farms are to be applauded and supported. But that will not bring resilience and self sufficiency. Our Government needs to be looking for partners who we can draw on in times of real need. That is where resilience and protection for VI people lies. But that is going to need planning and organisation, minus the culturally embedded, preserved and protected, corruption that daily is destroying what the VI was and could be, and that is not going to happen with the dirty HOA13.