Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene says Antigua and Barbuda is eager to tap into Turkey’s expertise in agriculture as the government pushes to strengthen food security and cut down on its growing import bill.

Greene made the remarks on Thursday during a courtesy call from Turkiye’s new Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda, Emriye Bağdagül Ormancı.

He described Turkey as “one of the breadbaskets of the world” and said the government sees real potential for collaboration.

“If you take the area of agriculture, you are easily one of the world’s leading agricultural producing countries and so we anticipate that through this relationship that we can see further growth in our own agricultural sector as this is one of the areas that we have targeted for growth,” Greene told the ambassador. 

The minister explained that food security and sovereignty are more than political slogans for the government, pointing to the rising costs of imported goods, global supply chain disruptions and shrinking access to external markets.

“For us, these are not just mere buzz words; they come with a deep and abiding meaning. As we pay attention to the global realities with food chains shortening, logistics issues and the ever increasing prices for food, it is incumbent on us as a people to build capacity with the help of friendly countries such as yours,” Greene said. 

He added that while the country’s size prevents it from fully replacing imports, Antigua and Barbuda has the right climate to expand crop production and substitute a significant portion of its animal products.

Ambassador Ormancı welcomed the conversation and said Turkiye has been working to expand its diplomatic footprint in the Caribbean. She pledged her country’s readiness to work with Antigua and Barbuda on areas of shared interest.

“Turkey has a well-developed agricultural sector and stands ready to assist Antigua and Barbuda achieve its stated goals in this area,” she said.