By S.Browne. Updated 3:31 p.m. Friday, June 19, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
Dasheen farmers in St. Vincent and the Grenadines could see significantly improved returns under a proposed export arrangement with United States-based partners, with Agriculture Minister Israel Bruce indicating that discussions have pointed to a minimum price of EC$100 per sack.
Bruce made the disclosure on June 18, 2026, at the Foreign Affairs Conference Room at the Administrative Centre on Bay Street in Kingstown, as he outlined the outcomes of a recent market and trade mission to California and subsequent engagements in Barbados aimed at strengthening agricultural investment opportunities for the country.
The Minister said the initiative forms part of a broader government effort to secure more stable and lucrative markets for local farmers, particularly for key root crops such as dasheen.
“I have heard all the cry about the cost, how much the farmers are being paid for their dasheen,” Bruce said. “And the price I got was like as low as $40 per sack.”
He added that discussions held in the United States had pointed to improved pricing prospects under the proposed arrangement.
“I am happy to say that the discussion that I had in the USA have made it abundantly clear that our farmers will not be subjected to selling their dasheen at anything less than $100 per sack,” he said.
Bruce also pointed to public concern surrounding the issue, noting that it had been raised on social media in recent weeks.
“A few weeks ago, I read a Facebook posting where someone suggested that the price of dasheen was going to the dogs, and it seems that the Minister of Agriculture isn’t doing anything about it,” he said.
The Minister said the government has already been pursuing alternative export channels, including collaboration with the Eastern Caribbean Trading Agriculture and Development Organisation (ECTAD) to facilitate shipments to European markets.
“We have been working as a ministry with the Eastern Caribbean Trading Agriculture and Development Organisation (ECTAD) to see how we can facilitate the work to have dasheen being shipped into the United Kingdom and into France,” he said.
Bruce said these initiatives form part of a wider strategy to diversify export markets.
“What we’re doing here is a bit of triangulation. Markets in the United Kingdom for dasheen, markets in France for dasheen. Now, we are seeking to open up opportunities for markets for dasheen in the United States of America,” he said.
He said the proposed arrangement was formalised through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with Happy Produce Global LLC and Quantum Inc., establishing a framework for potential purchases of Vincentian dasheen for export markets.
However, he stressed that the arrangement is not yet a binding commercial contract.
“Suffice it to say that it is a memorandum of understanding,” Bruce said. “The next stage is that the company, Happy Produce Global LLC, will sign a contract with whoever or whatever comes in the form of the purchasing agent on the ground.”
Bruce added that draft contracts are expected to be developed in the coming weeks, after which farmers will receive further details on participation in the export programme.
He said consistency of supply will be critical to meeting the demands of overseas buyers, particularly supermarkets requiring steady shipments.
The Minister maintained that the government’s role is to create enabling market access for farmers while improving the long-term sustainability of the agricultural sector.
“I gave you a commitment as your minister, the government gave you a commitment to go seek out markets for you, and we are doing precisely that,” Bruce said.
“This was the first MOU that was signed in California, and that puts our dasheen farmers on a path of consistent market and reliable pricing.”
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