U.S. Virgin Islands: America's Business Paradise
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Committee OKs Annual USVI Caribbean Ag Conference | 02/27/2020 | St. Thomas Source |
The U.S. Virgin Islands could begin hosting an annual Caribbean Agricultural Symposium, exploring such topics as agritourism, imports and exports and the latest agricultural information, if a bill approved Tuesday in committee is enacted by the full Senate. Members of the Senate’s Committee on Economic Development, Regulations and Agriculture were excited by the prospect of a traveling symposium, which each year would alternate between St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John. The committee also heard an update on the status of the territory’s abattoirs. The proposed agricultural symposium would be hosted by the V.I. Department of Agriculture and Department of Tourism, and possibly the University of the Virgin Islands as well. Department of Tourism’s Director of Communications Alani Henneman-Todman said the symposium can serve to solidify St. Croix as the culinary capital of the region while simultaneously highlighting the territory’s tourism product, farm product, service culture, cuisine and kitchen talent. Department of Agriculture Commissioner Positive Nelson suggested the event be hosted during the slow season, which will draw in a different tourism crowd and allow for hotels to accommodate an influx of large groups. Robert Godfrey, director of the UVI Agricultural Experiment Station, said while some years the symposium will need to stand on its own, in 2024 the Caribbean Food Crops Society will be in the territory and organizers of the new event should coordinate to avoid competition. “I think just a little bit of coordination between the two would make it to where we don’t duplicate efforts and we can probably get a bigger turnout,” Godfrey said. Godfrey said the Caribbean Food Crops Society, an agricultural scientific conference that follows a 10-year rotating schedule, is something UVI researchers participate in and has existed since 1963. “Even though the CFCS has a tropical emphasis to the research presented, it is not focused on any one location and encompasses a wide variety of research from across the Caribbean Basin. A local, V.I. centered agriculture conference would need to complement the CFCS and not compete with it,” Godfrey said. The symposium would operate like a conference in which people could come and learn about the various facets of agriculture in the territory, listen to seminars and hear the latest in scientific agricultural research. Sen. Allison DeGazon, who sponsored the bill along with Sen. Javan James, said, “We have no idea where this could all lead, but we know it’s going to go far.” Senators who voted to move the bill to the Rules and Judiciary Committee were Sens. DeGazon, Myron Jackson, Kurt Vialet, Alicia Barnes, Marvin Blyden, Oakland Benta, Dwayne DeGraff and Athneil Thomas. Sen. Novelle Francis Jr. was absent for the vote. Department of Agriculture Update: Abattoir Status During this time Nelson said the abattoirs will undergo construction while the department conducts staff and certification trainings and addresses outstanding violations. Sen. Barnes said she did not feel it was necessary to have both abattoirs closed and wanted to understand why they had not been done one at a time. Nelson replied that there was a pressing need. “We currently don’t have a quality control director, but on top of that when I came on board last year there were over 17 citations for things that the federal inspector finds that need addressing. And it is very complicated trying to address those NR’s, while trying to maintain operations … so instead of getting an NR every week over the same situation it was recommended that we actually shut down and take a voluntary suspension,” Nelson said. He added the department feels confident it can complete the necessary changes and have the abattoirs up and running sooner than the allotted 120-day time frame. The original article can be read on St. Thomas Source here.
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Made in the USVI shop reopens | 12/17/2021 | St. Croix Avis | |
Companies for bottled water, health services seek EDC tax breaks | 08/08/2018 | St. Croix Avis | |
EDA board OKs partnerships with Puerto Rico group;SBA | 11/09/2018 | St. Croix Avis | |
V.I. receives $2M disaster relief grant to aid businesses | 09/13/2013 | St. Croix Avis | |
Economic Enterprise Zone spotlights pampering products | 01/24/2019 | St. Croix Avis | |
Attracting companies high on Bryan's agenda | 07/24/2019 | St. Croix Avis | |
Gov., EDA officials meet with site selection consultants in Atlanta | 05/29/2014 | St. Croix Avis | |
Visitors Slowly Returning To Virgin Islands After Hurricanes' Destruction | 02/02/2018 | NPR |
The U.S. Virgin Islands were hit hard by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Tourism — a large part of the economy — declined as a result, but people are starting to return. |
Neither states nor nations, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands face rocky storm recovery | 10/27/2017 | Miami Herald | |
Elite Traveler Hosts Yacht Party in Fort Lauderdale | 11/02/2017 | Elite Traveler | |
Energy leaders, partners gather in USVI for Caribbean clean energy technology symposium | 04/06/2015 | Caribbean News Now! | |
Economic Development Bank launches loan amnesty program in USVI | 03/14/2016 | Caribbean News Now! | |
In the United States Virgin Islands, a Boost For Small Business | 08/15/2014 | Carib Journal | |
With Eyes Wide Open | 10/27/2014 | Barberbiz -- Blog by Dean Barber (Barber Business Advisors, LLC) | |
Made in the USVI Pop Up Shop and Website | 04/12/2021 | ||
2015 Winners and Nominee of STX Chamber of Commerce Business Awards | 08/22/2016 |
Three clients of the USVIEDA’s Disaster Small to Mid-size Enterprises Incubation Program (DSMEIP) received awards and nominations in the respective categories from the St. Croix Chamber of Commerce. |
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EDA Bank Claims Success from ‘Risky Loans’ | 07/25/2019 |
The Economic Development Bank has seen success with giving out what might be described as “risky loans” to residents of the territory according to the bank’s chief financial officer Ernest Halliday. https://stcroixsource.com/2019/07/18/eda-bank-claims-success-from-risky-loans/ |
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Education grilled about 2020 budget increase despite school consolidation | 07/25/2019 | ||
Tourism defends Festivals Division plan, budget request | 07/25/2019 |