Project Name：St. Kitts and Nevis Layer Chicken Industry Sustainable Development Project

Project status：Projects in Operation

Cooperating Country：St. Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis

Project Description：

St. Kitts and Nevis lacks breeding farms and hatcheries, and all the chicks needed for the egg-laying industry are imported from overseas by the farmers. The lack of a local supply system for egg-laying breeder chicks has affected the stability of the local egg supply. It has raised doubts about the food security of St. Kitts and Nevis. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources of St. Kitts and Nevis proposed a technology enhancement cooperation project for the egg-laying industry. Hoping to use Taiwan's technological capabilities and experience in the egg-laying industry to help the St. Kitts egg-laying industry achieve the goal of stable production, self-sufficiency, and sustainability in the COVID-19 post-pandemic era. This project is in line with the Ministry of Agriculture's " Strategy for the Transformation and Growth of Agriculture in St. Christopher and Nevis 2022-2031 (Draft) “, priority areas for improvement. And it echoes the international community's focus on national food security and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) #2 "End Hunger, Achieve Food Security, Improve Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture." The project will assist St. Kitts and Nevis in improving the management capacity of the egg-laying industry. The main work content of this project includes (1) establishing sustainable egg production capacity; (2) establishing a sustainable management model for the egg-laying industry. The project is expected to end with a steady supply of 20,000 laying chicks per year for the egg-laying industry.

Region：Caribbean

Project Objectives：

To build up the sustainability of the egg-laying industry in St. Kitts and Nevis. Provide a channel for chicken farmers to purchase local chicks to reduce the number of imports and provide a stable supply of 20,000 female chicks per year at the end of the project.

Implementation Arrangement：

Current Progress：

By the end of 2024, the project has accomplished the following key milestones:

1. The project was officially launched with the contract signing on June 16, 2023, followed by an inaugural meeting on July 13, 2023.
2. Completed the construction of one hatchery management center and three breeder farms, with an official opening ceremony for the hatchery held on October 31, 2024.
3. Completed the Breeding Farm and Hatching Center Management Regulation, the Egg-Laying Breeding Technical Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Manual, and the Egg Production and Management Technical Manual, enhancing local farming knowledge and successfully introducing 640 parent stock of egg-laying breeders.
4. Conducted 8 egg-rearing training sessions and 2 breeding farm and hatching center management education classes, training a total of 4 local seed teachers, enhancing the industry's self-sufficiency.
5. Completed the survey on egg-laying production and marketing information, established an industry database, and conducted 48 real-time information broadcasts via WhatsApp, enhancing farmers' access to timely information.

Project Contact：Andy Chen

Phone：+886-02-28886038

E-mail：y.a.chen@icdf.org.tw