Montserrat Signs Letter of Intent to Boost Agricultural Exports to Canada

The Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing, Environment, Youth Affairs and Sports has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Northern Connection Distribution Ltd., The Massiah Group and Canadian Consortium Partners to advance agricultural export development.

The agreement was finalised on Monday following a one-day scoping visit to Montserrat on December 8. During the visit, Chief Executive Officer of The Massiah Group, Ryan Massiah, toured key agricultural sites including Lower and Upper Blakes Estate, Duck Pond, Waterworks Estate, the Cork Hill area and St George’s Hill.

Minister of Agriculture John P. Osborne described the LOI as “a clear demonstration of the shared commitment of both parties to collaborate,” noting that the partnership aims to strengthen Montserrat’s agricultural exports, support sector development and build technical capacity while deepening economic ties with Canada.

With the LOI signed, the Ministry and its Canadian partners will begin joint technical planning, feasibility studies and development of a formal Memorandum of Understanding.

Planned outcomes from the collaboration include:

• Improving Good Agricultural Practices and export readiness among Montserratian farmers
• Launching Phase 1 exports of selected crops to Canada, with potential for product expansion
• Creating jobs in agriculture, logistics and technical services
• Deploying renewable energy solutions to support agricultural processing
• Strengthening trade links, technical expertise and international partnerships

The Ministry said the initiative represents an important step toward revitalising Montserrat’s agricultural sector and opening new market opportunities for local producers.