The European Union Grants St. Kitts $3.9 Million in Economic Reform Aid
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (AP) -- The European Union has granted St. Kitts euro3 million (US$3.9 million) in aid for economic reform, following the tiny Caribbean island nation's decision to stop producing sugar, the government announced Thursday.
The grant is a supplement to an original allocation of euro3.2 million (US$4.1 million) from the EU and will be "earmarked for information technology education in the context of economic reform away from sugar dependency," the government stated, citing an EU press release.
The grant provides for 10 undergraduate and five postgraduate scholarships, teacher training courses, and community-based programs in information technology.
An additional euro220,000 (US$284,000) was granted for emergencies.
The government decided to shut down its debt-ridden sugar industry earlier this month after 300 years of production, saying this year's harvest will be its last.
About 2,000 workers began the four-month harvest March 14.
At one time, nearly one third of the arable land on this former British colony of some 40,000 residents was devoted to sugar production, and it was the mainstay of the economy until the 1970s. Since then, tourism has taken over as St. Kitts' main money-earner.
This year, 7,900 acres (3,200 hectares) of state-owned land are expected to produce 12,360 tons.
