Antigua & Barbuda

Country Profile

Antigua & Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda comprises the islands of Antigua, Barbuda and Redonda (which is uninhabited), covering an overall land area of 443 km2 (170 mi2). They are made up of mainly limestone and coral with some volcanic areas. The highest point above sea level is some 400 m (1,330 ft) – Boggy Peak, the remnants of a volcanic crater. Average rainfall is 1,067 mm (42 in) per annum. The economy is service-based, with tourism, financial, and government services representing the key sources of employment and income; tourism is the leading foreign exchange earner. Agriculture contributed 3.31% of Gross Value Added in 2006 [1]. The main agricultural products are cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane and livestock and are mainly focused on the domestic market.

CARDI Antigua and Barbuda Overview

CARDI Antigua and Barbuda focuses principally on the production of commercial seeds of hot peppers, including West Indies Red, CARDI Green and Scotch Bonnet, for the Region. During the Medium Term 2008-2010, the portfolio has been expanded to include research and development on sweet potatoes. In the short term, the Unit will also assist the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to introduce more productive cultivars of cotton to boost the production of the crop on the island.

Work Programme for the Medium Term 2008-2010

Commodity development – Crops

Sweet potatoes

  • Characterise and select sweet potato varieties for their productivity
  • Validate the effects of zones and photoperiodicity on sweet potato yield.
  • Capacity building in sweet potato IPM tactics

Hot peppers

  • Commercial hot pepper seed production

Cotton

  • Introduce / re-introduce elite cotton cultivars

Country Highlight Reports

For highlights of work by the CARDI office in Antigua and Barbuda, Click here

 

CARDI Representative

Dr Gregory Robin

Contact Information

CARDI Antigua and Barbuda
P.O. Box 766
Betty’s Hope
St John's
Antigua and Barbuda.
Phone: (268) 463-3755
Fax: (268) 462-0661
Email: cardi@candw.ag
Email: cardi_antigua@yahoo.com

Partners and Collaborators

  • Ministry of Agriculture Lands, Marine Resources & Agro Industries
    Queen Elizabeth Highway
    Antigua and Barbuda
    Tel: 1 (268) 462-1213/1007
  • Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) at Antigua and Barbuda
    http://www.iica.int/Eng/regiones/caribe/antigua/

[1] Source: Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) National Accounts Statistics 2006/07, September 2007