Buy Local for Health, Says Williams
Agriculture Minister Lloyd Williams urged residents to support locally produced food, saying fresh, healthier options demand more effort from farmers working with BVI’s challenging soils and terrain. He highlighted World Food Day activities on October 17 and called for collaboration among government, producers and consumers to strengthen food quality and security.
Lloyd Williams is urging Virgin Islands residents to buy more local produce if they want healthier food, pointing to the extra work required to grow quality crops in the Territory’s rugged terrain. In a Government Information Service (GIS) report released ahead of World Food Day, Williams said, "the mere fact that it is fresh, healthy.
It takes a lot more to get it produced locally." He explained that soil texture and the hilly landscape across the islands make cultivation more challenging, forcing farmers to adopt a variety of methods to bring out the quality of their products. Comparing local and imported foods, Williams warned that overseas imports can be inferior. "We get inferior food from overseas, and so the cost is down, but to get the healthy, we have to buy local," he said, stressing that lower price does not always mean higher nutritional value.
Williams spoke ahead of World Food Day, observed on October 17, 2025, under the theme "Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future." He said the theme underscores the need for cooperation across many sectors: "Hand in hand, meaning the department, meaning consumers, farmers, fishers, working together to produce the best food now, for a few generations to come, and so that we can live longer, and enjoy the benefit from local, fresh produce." For BVI residents, Williams’ comments come amid longstanding challenges: the Territory relies heavily on imported food, which can limit access to fresh, locally grown options and raise concerns about resilience and food security in the event of supply disruptions.
Supporting local farmers and fishers, he argued, will help improve the availability and quality of healthy foods while strengthening the local economy. Activities planned for this year’s World Food Day in the BVI include a market day and a food fair at Noel Lloyd’s Positive Action Movement, beginning at 10:00 AM on October 17, 2025.
The events are intended to showcase local produce, encourage direct connections between producers and consumers, and promote sustainable local food practices. Williams called on government departments, community groups and residents to work together to make local, healthy food more accessible and to ensure future generations can benefit from homegrown produce.
Primary source: VINO