Minister Saboto Scofield Caesar is the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This portfolio covers the Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA), the Farmers Support Company (FSC), Eastern Caribbean Food Traders Ltd. (ECFT), Bureau of Standards, the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), the National Zero Hunger Initiative (ZHI) and the Canadian Farm Workers Program.
Born on December 21, 1980, in the rural agriculture community of Diamond Village, Caesar’s early life was deeply rooted in agriculture. He attended the Diamond Government School which at the time was operating under a “shift system” (Two schools utilised the same building, one holding school in the morning and other school in the afternoon. These children however had to compete with students who had whole day school at the common entrance 10+ exam. This is seen by the ULP’s education revolution as a gross discrimination against those students who had to endure the shift system / half day school.)
He attended the St. Martins Secondary School after ranking within the top 25 boys (24th for boys) taking common entrance in 1992. He chose St. Martins Secondary School because of the Christian path offered. During his time at St. Martins Secondary School he was a debater and prefect. He received the St. Jean Baptiste De La Salle – award for excellence in 1997 at graduation.
He then attended the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC). As a student at SVGCC, he served as the president of the Hiking Club and active member of the Heritage club. He graduated as valedictorian and captured one of the four island scholarships offered by the government in 1999. In his gap year, he lectured advanced history at the SVGCC.
Throughout his formative years, Minister Caesar held membership in various organisations such as the Diamonites Youth Group, and several church based youth groups. These are geared towards personal development through service to community and country.
In 2001 Minister Caesar enrolled in the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, to pursue his bachelor’s of law degree, which he completed in 2003. While pursuing his studies he served as an executive member of the Vincentian Students Association and participated in student government.
In 2005, Minister Caesar completed his legal professional training at the Hugh Wooding Law school in Trinidad and Tobago. During his tenure at the Hugh Wooding Law School, he served as the president of the law school’s Student Representative Council.
Delivering for South Central Windward
- Infrastructure: Major road works (Diamond Freedom Road, Union Bridge, Chapmans Bridge, Daddy Gus Bridge, Roseau Road in Lauders, Browne’s road in Higher Lowmans, Lively Road in Diamond, Sans Souci Estate Road, Pepper Village Road)
- Sports Facilities: Hard Court upgrades for Sans Souci
- Education: New Grounds Primary refurbishment, Lauders Primary School refurbishment, Grieggs Primary Early Childhood Development centre, Aunty B preschool in Diamonds, Diamond Primary School refurbishment, Diamond Primary School kitchen and lunchroom, North Union Secondary Literacy Centre
- Health: Refurbishment of Grieggs and Lowmans Clinics
- Food Security: Established Backyard Gardening for 200 families
- Housing: Repair houses post volcanic eruption and Hurricane Beryl
Vision for South Central Windward
- Tourism – Develop 50 Airbnbs, promote Pavement Waterfalls, improve heritage signage, build a Garifuna Heritage home in Grieggs, expand coastal tours, and grow medical/cannabis tourism.
- Agriculture – Diversify crops, upgrade New Grounds Station for research, add value (jams, sauces, spices), boost agro-tourism, revitalize Union Farmers Market, and support climate-smart and backyard farming, seed/fertilizer banks, and cannabis integration.
- Education – Refurbish the Learning Resource Centre to teach AI, languages, and offer evening/CSEC classes.
- Fisheries – Establish a fisheries platform at Sans Souci.
- Healthcare – Launch constituency-wide cancer screening and complete the Diamond Village Healthcare Centre.
- Infrastructure & Sports – Rehabilitate feeder roads and upgrade hard courts at Lowmans and Antoine Level.