St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Agriculture Minister Israel Bruce has unveiled a suite of new export agreements, financing frameworks, and digital trade infrastructure designed to unlock higher incomes, expand market access, and strengthen the country’s agricultural sector following two weeks of diplomatic and trade missions to California and Barbados. The minister made the announcements during a press briefing held in Kingstown this Thursday, tying the new initiatives directly to campaign pledges made by the incoming New Democratic Party administration ahead of the 2025 elections.
The centerpiece of Bruce’s announcement is a newly signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the SVG government, U.S.-based Happy Produce Global LLC and Quantum Inc. that establishes a formal framework for dasheen exports to the United States. Under the terms of the agreement, local dasheen producers will be guaranteed a minimum price of 100 Eastern Caribbean (EC) dollars per sack – a dramatic increase from the current average rate of just 40 EC dollars per sack.
Bruce emphasized that the guaranteed minimum price addresses a longstanding unsustainable dynamic for local producers, who have long struggled to recoup basic production costs including planting materials, crop maintenance, harvesting, and transportation under the existing pricing structure. The minister clarified that the MOU lays the foundational market framework rather than serving as a final commercial contract. A local purchasing agent will next negotiate a formal commercial agreement with Happy Produce Global, and that agent will in turn sign individual supply commitments with participating dasheen farmers to ensure consistent inventory for U.S. retail partners, who require steady stock to avoid empty shelf gaps.
When asked whether the new higher export pricing would negatively impact local consumers and regional agricultural traders, locally referred to as “traffickers,” Bruce acknowledged the concerns and noted that he has scheduled a meeting with these stakeholders for the coming week to work through ongoing challenges and reconcile conflicting needs.
Alongside the dasheen agreement, Bruce announced a second MOU for hot pepper exports, signed with U.S.-based Seasons Farm Fresh and Quantum Inc. To address existing concerns that the new export deal would divert local pepper supply away from Vinci Fresh, a domestic producer of sauces and condiments that relies on local pepper crops, Bruce stressed that the initiative is structured to expand overall national pepper production rather than redirect existing supply. Farmers participating in the program, which includes support for seeds and land preparation, will be required to sign binding contracts to sell their entire output from supported plots to Seasons Farm Fresh, preventing poaching of contracted supply by third-party buyers offering slightly higher per-pound rates. Bruce linked this new pepper initiative to recent technical assistance work carried out by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which deployed a production consultant to SVG for 10 days of on-the-ground collaboration with local pepper growers just two months prior.
A key supporting innovation accompanying both export MOUs is a new digital agricultural trade platform being developed by Quantum Inc. The platform is designed to connect SVG producers directly with international buyers, cutting out unnecessary middlemen and automating cross-border payment processes. Under the proposed escrow-based payment system, international buyers deposit agreed-upon funds into a secured escrow account before shipment. Once the SVG farmer delivers the produce for export, Quantum releases full payment directly to the producer, eliminating long payment delays and reducing the risk of non-payment. The platform will also streamline proceeds distribution for bulk shipments that combine produce from multiple smallholder farmers. Bruce noted that Quantum has already made significant progress adapting the platform to meet the specific needs of Vincentian producers, and hinted that the system will eventually integrate with a forthcoming National Agricultural Management Information System (NAMIS) and new national farmer identification program, with additional details to be released at a later date.
Bruce closed the briefing by recognizing Kishorn Cupid, a SVG expatriate based in Los Angeles, who personally provided partial funding for the California trade mission, hailing Cupid as a goodwill ambassador for the country’s agricultural sector.