Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the government plans to meet with some of Antigua and Barbuda’s largest landowning families and encourage them to develop viable commercial projects on their properties.

Browne said the discussions could include proposals for agriculture, real estate and other forms of investment capable of generating economic activity and employment.

“Those entities that have large tracts of land, within the next week and a half, I intend to call them into a meeting to encourage them to develop projects,” Browne said during the Browne and Browne Show.

The prime minister identified the Halls, Henry and Walter families among the landowners the government intends to approach.

He suggested that agricultural developments could be considered but did not limit the initiative to farming.

The proposal forms part of plans for an Antigua and Barbuda Investment Forum to be staged in connection with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Browne said the forum would feature viable projects in real estate, hotels, port development and other sectors, allowing their owners to seek investment.

The government also intends to use the forum to attract financing to expand Antigua’s commercial port and develop it into a regional transshipment hub.

Browne did not indicate whether the government would offer tax concessions, financing or other incentives to landowners who agree to pursue development projects.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Major Landowners to Be Encouraged to Develop Agriculture and Investment Projects.