“Food security is not just a luxury. It is central pillar of our national reliance and independence. Ensuring that our people have reliable access to nutritious, affordable and safe food is fundamental to our survival and wellbeing. We cannot afford to rely solely on imports or distant sources for something as critical as food supply. History has shown us that during Hurricanes Luis and Irma and more recently during the pandemic how fragile the dependency can be. In those moments we saw the urgency of growing our own food but then we completely detached from that.   A striving agriculture sector is the safety net we need. It empowers us to weather unexpected crisis and ensures we can feed our people regardless of the external disruptions. Let us seize this opportunity to lay the foundation for a more self-reliant and resilient nation capable of providing for our own,” Heyliger-Marten told Parliament.