Agriculture and fishing
Saint Lucia’s former main industry, banana cultivation, has declined significantly in economic terms since the 1990s and now accounts for less than one percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Today’s agriculture is widened with a variety of products such as mangoes, pineapples and coconuts.
- CountryAAH: Comprehensive import regulations of St. Lucia. Covers import prohibitions and special documentation requirements for a list of prohibited items.
The conditions for cultivation are relatively good with good soil in many places and enough rainfall. Agriculture employs around a tenth of the working population, but the sector’s share of GDP has fallen from 15 percent in 1990 to just under 3 percent in 2016. For St. Lucia defense and foreign policy, please check themotorcyclers.
The main reason for the decline in agriculture is a serious crisis in the banana industry. Since the mid-1990s, many farmers have stopped growing bananas. To boost production, the banana industry and the government have primarily supported the growers who have the greatest chance of succeeding. This applies mainly to those whose crops are not too uninhabitable and have access to irrigation.
The government has also encouraged growers to focus on organic and fair-growing cultivation, and to try new crops such as avocados. Coconuts, mangoes, dates, figs, cashews and pineapples are now important agricultural products.
The country has a small fishing industry, which is supported by Taiwan.
FACTS – AGRICULTURE
Agriculture’s share of GDP
2.1 percent (2018)
Percentage of land used for agriculture
17.4 percent (2016)
- Abbreviationfinder.org: Offers how the 3-letter acronym of LCA stands for the state of St. Lucia in geography.