|
Caribbean Islands Economy
St. Kitts was early regarded as a logical choice for
agricultural colonialism and became the launching point for
seventeenth-century British expansion into the Caribbean. In many
ways, St. Kitts was an ideal island for development of the colonial
sugar estate; it had relatively large, fertile tracts of land, an
amenable climate, and a steady pattern of rainfall. More than 300
years later, the Kittitian economy was still very dependent on
sugar; but by the 1970s, government and business leaders realized
that a move away from sugar was vital for continued economic
growth.
Tourism and manufacturing developed slowly as economic
alternatives in the 1980s, but eventually they began to challenge
sugar as the primary foreign exchange earner. Because significant
capital investment was a prerequisite, the transition was at first
both unpredictable and uneven. Diversification within the
agricultural sector, particularly toward fresh vegetables, was also
a government priority. Nonsugar agriculture also experienced a
similar pattern of steady but slow growth because of land
restrictions and reluctance on the part of farmers to attempt
smallholder farming.
Nevis, in its bid to achieve economic viability, has had less
success. Historically, it lacked the richer soils and larger tracts
of land available on its sister island and was consequently less
suitable for cultivation of sugar. It was valued, even in colonial
times, for its seclusion and beaches rather than for agriculture,
a fact that may allow it to accommodate the growing international
tourist market of the late twentieth century. Agriculturally, Nevis
has relied heavily on the cultivation of sea island cotton as its
primary export commodity. This crop, usually planted without
rotation, caused a serious soil erosion problem, however, which
will likely diminish the island's potential for further
agricultural production for many years to come.
In the mid-1980s, the government envisioned the economic future
of St. Kitts and Nevis as dependent on tourism, light
manufacturing, and a scaled-down sugar industry. Although the
potential seemed great, both islands were still struggling to make
the necessary adjustments. The development of infrastructure and
effective marketing techniques, however, may allow these three
economic sectors to mature by the 1980s.
Data as of November 1987
|
