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COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND AGRICULTURE BILL NO. 36-0087 Thirty-Sixth Legislature of the Virgin Islands May 8, 2025 An act amending title 7 Virgin Islands Code by adding chapter 16 to require the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture to establish and manage a 30-acre orchard on St. Croix PROPOSED BY: Senator Marise C. James Be it enacted by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands: 1 SECTION 1. Title 7 Virgin Islands Code is amended by adding the following chapter 2 16: 3 “Chapter 16. Orchard Development 4 § 311. Legislative findings 5 The Legislature of the Virgin Islands finds that: 6 (a) The Virgin Islands imports approximately 97% of its food supply; making the 7 territory highly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, high costs, and food insecurity; 8 (b) The 2021 Virgin Islands Agricultural Plan (“Plan”), developed pursuant to 9 Act No. 8404, emphasizes the need to improve local food production and food 10 sovereignty through sustainable and ecologically sound practices; 11 (c) Orchard development is specifically identified in the Plan as a High Priority 12 Project necessary for long-term agricultural sustainability and economic diversification 13 in the Virgin Islands; 14 2 (d) The establishment of local orchards supports climate resilience by promoting 1 perennial crops, soil conservation, and sustainable land use practices as outlined in the 2 Plan; 3 (e) The Plan highlights the importance of crop diversification, value-added 4 products, and agro-tourism, all of which can be directly supported by a strategically 5 developed orchard initiative; 6 (f) Orchard development contributes to job creation, supports small farm 7 businesses, and provides a pathway for generational farming; aligning with the Plan's 8 emphasis on education, training, and youth engagement in agriculture; 9 (g) Orchard development will provide educational, environmental, and economic 10 benefits by engaging youth and farming apprentices, improving tree cover, and offering 11 value-added crop opportunities for local processors and markets; 12 (h) The 2018 U.S. Virgin Islands Census of Agriculture showed significant 13 community interest in the production of local fruits such as mangoes, bananas, coconuts, 14 and breadfruit, reinforcing the need for an expanded orchard program; 15 (i) The Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture Master Land Listing reveals, 16 as of FY2025, that the vast majority of available and leased agricultural land is 17 concentrated on St. Croix, with no comparable availability of surveyed government- 18 owned agricultural land on St. Thomas or St. John; 19 (j) Creating an orchard on St. Croix aligns with the Plan's objective to improve 20 agricultural productivity and reduce the territory’s dependence on imported fruits, while 21 also enhancing access to fresh, nutritious, and locally grown food; 22 (k) Multiple parcels of Virgin Islands Corp land on St. Croix have already been 23 successfully leased for agricultural purposes including food crop and livestock 24 3 production; demonstrating existing infrastructure and administrative capacity to support 1 a new orchard project; 2 (l) The agricultural zoning, historical land use patterns, and availability of 30- 3 acre parcels on St. Croix, provide the most realistic and efficient opportunity to establish 4 an orchard initiative without displacing current operations or requiring costly land 5 acquisitions; 6 (m) The proposed orchard will cultivate a diverse array of culturally and 7 nutritionally significant fruit trees—including tamarind, mango, guava, soursop, 8 breadfruit, cashew apple, passion fruit, and more—thereby improving food security, 9 promoting local heritage, and supporting biodiversity. 10 § 312. Orchard 11 (a) The Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture (“VIDA”) shall establish and 12 manage a 30-acre orchard on government-owned land under its jurisdiction on the island 13 of St. Croix. 14 (b) The orchard shall include the cultivation of the following fruit trees: 15 (1) Tamarind 16 (2) Carambola 17 (3) Star Gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus) 18 (4) Mango 19 (5) Guava 20 (6) Soursop 21 (7) Mamey Sapote 22 (8) Custard Apple 23 (9) Cashew Apple 24 (10) Cocoa 25 4 (11) Guinep 1 (12) JoJo 2 (13) Surinam Cherry (Eugenia uniflora) 3 (14) Golden Apple 4 (15) Fig 5 (16) June Plum (Spondias spp.) 6 (17) Rose Apple (Syzygium jambos) 7 (18) Lemon 8 (19) Lime 9 (20) Sweet Orange 10 (21) Sugar Apple 11 (22) Governors' Plum 12 (23) Pomegranate 13 (24) Passion Fruit 14 (25) Banana 15 (26) Coconut 16 (27) Breadfruit 17 (c) The VIDA may use federal and local agricultural development funds for the 18 planning, propagation, irrigation infrastructure, fencing, staffing, and maintenance of the 19 orchard. 20 (d) The VIDA may partner with the University of the Virgin Islands, non-profit 21 agricultural organizations, vocational programs, and youth development initiatives, to 22 promote training, education, and participation in orchard operations. 23 5 (e) The VIDA shall submit an annual report to the Legislature of the Virgin 1 Islands on the progress, expenditures, yield, and community impact of the orchard 2 program. 3 (f) The VIDA may establish and collect reasonable harvest or use fees from 4 individuals or entities seeking to collect fruit from the orchard for the purpose of resale, 5 commercial processing, or value-added product development. All fees collected under 6 this subsection shall be used exclusively for the maintenance, staffing, and enhancement 7 of the orchard. 8 BILL SUMMARY 9 This bill amends title 7 Virgin Islands Code by adding chapter 16 requiring the Virgin 10 Islands Department of Agriculture to establish and manage a 30-acre orchard on government- 11 owned land on St. Croix. 12 BR25-0581/May 5, 2025/GC 13