St. Kitts & Nevis 2007 Budget Address

Our country is at a critical juncture in its social and economic history. This year, perhaps for the first time in hundreds of years, our beloved Federation has not produced an ounce of sugar. Our cane fields are still lush and green, but this is no reflection of the current state of our sugar industry. The lushness of our abundant but overgrown cane fields, like the epitaph on the grave of a fallen hero, speaks loudly and clearly of the glorious but past days of King Sugar. The uncut sugar cane, now reaching unprecedented heights, stands as a symbol of the overwhelming role that sugar played in our society for so many centuries. But our verdant cane fields speak equally loudly of the great potential of our sugar lands, and of the many opportunities they continue to make available to our people.