30-Acre Gov't Orchard Plan Stalls as Agriculture Officials Say VIDA Lacks Resources

ST. CROIX — Sen. Marise James held legislation Monday that would require the V.I. Department of Agriculture to establish and manage a 30-acre orchard on St. Croix after agriculture stakeholders raised significant concerns about the department’s ability to fund, staff and sustain the project and requested multiple changes to the proposal. Bill 36-0087 would amend Title 7 of the Virgin Islands Code by adding a new chapter and would expand a requirement contained in the 2021 Virgin Islands Agricultural Plan, increasing a proposed 10-acre orchard to 30 acres. James, the bill’s sponsor, ultimately moved to hold the measure in the Committee on Economic Development and Agriculture at the call of Chairman Sen. Hubert Frederick following an afternoon of debate over whether a government-operated orchard of that size represents the best use of agricultural resources. Introducing the legislation, James framed the proposal around the Virgin Islands’ heavy dependence on imported food and its vuln...