to the UK of bananas which have accounted for about 60% of its total exports. Arrowroot is also an important crop. The
Government aim to achieve diversification of crops by breaking up the traditional estates. Other export crops are copra, cotton, carrots and other root vegetables.
Because of its black sand beaches St Vincent is unlikely to become a major tourist attraction; tourist development is there- fore mainly concentrated on the Grenadines. There is an airport at Arnos Vale,22 miles from the capital and airstrips on the major Grenadine Islands. Tourism has slumped because of the general world recession. Euch industry as exists is mainly confined to the processing of locally grown produce.
After a period of moderate growth the island, in common with
the other Associated States, has encountered a series of setbacks in the last few years. The banana industry has been affected by drought, (although it has picked up somewhat after recent rains) inflation has accelerated and the economy has gone into recession. St Vincent faces a budgetary deficit and was allocated funds from the Caribbean Development bank's Special Fund in 1976. Despite this the island is by no means as poor as many other countries in the developing world.
}