David @ Tokyo

Fisheries ODA news from St. Kitts:

Japan and St. Kitts and Nevis value relations

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, FEBRUARY 21ST 2007 (CUOPM) - St. Kitts and Nevis' Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas said Tuesday the twin-island Federation values its relationship with Japan.

"Japan continues to be a very important development partner, not only in St. Kitts and Nevis, but also in the region by your non-borrowing membership in the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)," Prime Minister Douglas told visiting
Japanese Ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency Koichiro Seki.

Dr. Douglas, in welcoming the Trinidad-based diplomat, who is in the Federation for Wednesday's handing-over ceremony of the new fisheries development project at Old Road, six miles west of Basseterre, noted that Japan and St. Kitts and Nevis have had good relations over the past several years.

"We want to thank you for the continued assistance for our economic diversification programme as fisheries plays a major role in the transition from the production of sugar to a non-sugar agricultural programme coupled with an economy based on tourism, financial and information technology services," said Prime Minister Douglas.

The Japanese diplomat noted the current visit was his third, having presented his credentials early last year and also attended the International Whaling Conference at the Royal St. Kitts Marriott Resort.

"Japan thanks and appreciates the support of St. Kitts and Nevis in the international arena and hopes the relationship will continue to prosper," said Ambassador Seki, who told Prime Minister Douglas, that he is inspired by the efforts of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis to diversify the economy.

The Japanese diplomat promised to assist in other areas of agriculture.

The St. Kitts government website has stories about the development here (Sep 8 2006) and here (Dec 7 2006), while the Embassy of Japan site from Trinidad and Tobago has details of the grant (Jul 1 2005).

Of note:

Minister Liburd said that the output from the Old Road Fisheries should reduce the overall imports of fish into the Federation.

Let's hope so. This important message received coverage in the Caribbean, where Minister Liburd was quoted elsewhere saying:

“We have all these tourists coming here, what are we going to feed them with, are we going to ask the United States to send the fish here?"

...

"That's not what we want. We to want to be able to benefit from tourists coming to our country and that's what we have to look at."

...

"The Windward Islands have suffered with their bananas. St Kitts and Nevis have suffered with their sugar industry. Our tourism industry is moving at a pace and we don't want to see the importation of fish coming into our country.”

Securing sources of foreign currency income (exporting rather than importing) appears to be a common theme for developing nations, as seen in my previous posts regarding Suriname and Honduras.

Good luck to the Old Road Fisherman’s Cooperative and the Fisheries Ministry with their management of the new facilities.


Some western NGO's have made statements to the effect that developing nations such as St. Kitts have to make a choice between the development of their marine resources or the development of their tourism industry. The suggestion demonstrates no consideration for the independence and sovereignty of such nations, but rather a mix of pure ignorance and arrogant self-interest. A certain western NGO even went so far as to illegally enter St. Kitts and Nevis at the time of the IWC 58 meeting, breaking their own accountability charter in record time.

Labels: Fisheries ODA, Old Road Fisheries