London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Demand greater than supply! COVID-19 crisis causes boom in local agriculture sector

Demand greater than supply! COVID-19 crisis causes boom in local agriculture sector

While most other local industries are being crippled by the ongoing coronavirus crisis, agriculture in the British Virgin Islands is experiencing a boom.

This upsurge in the sector has, however, caused a demand for local food that is currently greater than supply.

“Because of the current crisis and the scarcity of the food in the supermarkets, the demand, obviously, has gone through the roof so we have a long backlog list,” local fruit and vegetable farmer Aragorn Dick-Read said in a recent interview with BVI News.

Dick-Read - the owner of the family-operated Good Moon Farm on Tortola - usually supplies to charter vessels within the tourism industry.


More than 200 deliveries in days

But with that industry in absolute collapse, his farm’s produce now supplies residentially with what he described as farm boxes containing an assortment of produce.

“Since this crisis, we’ve delivered over 200 boxes,” Dick-Read told our news centre. “For two weeks, we didn’t deliver at all for the most part [because of the initial lockdown period] … But, in the past couple days, over 250-plus boxes have gone to households. I don’t know how many individual people they’re feeding but it’s probably way over five/six hundred people.”


Network of agriculture workers

A network of local farmers and fisherfolk are now collaborating to help manage the demand and offer support to each other.

Samantha Brown and her two-year-old Tidal Roots Farm is part of that network and she, too, is experiencing a spike in the demand for produce.

“Just today, I’ve had to turn down a lot, a lot of people. The demand is at least three times more than what I can supply,” she stated.


Losses

Like other farmers, however, Brown said her business suffered a considerable loss at the start of the pandemic when government sent the territory into lockdown.

She said some of her produce turned to waste during that time.

“Now that the BVI has allowed for farmers to do deliveries, I’m getting produce out. But for the past couple weeks, I haven’t been. So, I had a little bit of wastage, which was bad. I also had some part-time help. But, with the shutdown, I haven’t had any help … I’m looking forward to having my employees back to get the farm in better shape,” she admitted.


COVID-19 crisis proves the importance of local agriculture

Jamal Bradshaw who operates the local farm Plant Wise with his wife Strassa, said the COVID-19 crisis has revealed clear weaknesses in the BVI’s agriculture sector.

He said it is also teaching lessons about the significance of local agriculture.

“It has just proven the importance of having our own sense of sustainability, especially through food security,” Bradshaw said while also describing business since the pandemic as being ‘quite great’.

“The demand has increased since this pandemic to the point where … I’m looking to see If I can create a bit more expansion. It’s maybe three times the increase in demand,” he added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×