IICA Strategy In Support Of Agricultural Diversification In The OECS April, 1989

As a result of a high and steadily growing rate of food imports from extra-regional sources and increasing competition on international markets for traditional products such as banana, cocoa and coconuts, OECS countries have adopted a policy of agricultural diversification. Over the past few years, and more intensely since 1988, OECS countries have been executing actions oriented towards both export development and import substitution.
With the approval of the OECS Diversification Programme by Heads of Government in St Lucia in November 1988, the four Windward Islands and Antigua and Barbuda initiated a systematic and organized attempt to increase agricultural production for national,regional and extra-regional markets.

As a result of similarities within the Sub-region in respect to institutional structure and weakness, as well as in financial and human resource needs, requests to IICA for technical cooperation have resulted in the design of a common strategy for members of IICA within the OECS structure.