Above: the new greenhouse at the St Kitts Eco-Park

By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Kitts and Nevis has officially opened what is believed to be the largest greenhouse in the Caribbean.

The 24-metre-tall, 14,000-square-foot greenhouse is part of the long-anticipated St Kitts Eco Park, which debuted on Friday.

The Eco-Park is a cooperation project between the governments of St Kitts and Nevis and Taiwan, with a host of local plants, herbs and flowers and an array of tropical fruit trees.

“It incorporates the successful integration of tourism, agriculture and renewable energy,” the government said in a statement.

Above: the ribbon cutting ceremony

“The Eco-Park signals the way forward for ecotourism and rural development,” said St Kitts and Nevis Agriculture Minister Nigel Carty. “We are changing the rural landscape of St Kitts and Nevis. This is indeed real progress and real change for the people of St Kitts and Nevis.”

The project was inspired after a visit by St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas to a similar facility in Taiwan in 2008.

“We have indeed made important strides towards ensuring that the people of St. Kitts and Nevis in general have this grand opportunity to experience ecotourism, green technology and the development of a unique agro-tourism product, thanks to the work of [Taiwan] and our government and the unfailing commitment to our people,” Carty said.