Page 6 - Agric Info Mag 2018 - 01

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Tuesday February 27 , 2018 marked the launch of the OECS Regional Ag-
ricultural Competitiveness Project (AGRICOM) at the North Union Learn-
ing Resource Centre.

Attendees included members of farmers‘ cooperatives, officers of the Exten-
sion service of the Ministry of Agriculture, agro-processors and private sec-
tor representatives. The project was launched under the theme “Promoting
Agri-market development”.

The original intent was to link the agricultural sector with the Tourism
sector. The stakeholders are farmers, fishers, aggregators and agro-
processors and the aim are to strategically impact markets in an organ-
ized way towards the goal of food security.

Minister of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry, Fisheries, La-
bour and Industry Hon. Saboto Caesar in the delivering the keynote
address indicated his satisfaction with the hard, diligent and resolute
work of the farmers of St. Vincent and the Grenadines over the years.
He spoke to the circumstances including climate change and its impact
on the agricultural and fisheries sectors and on the livelihood of farmers and fishers respectively.

Minister Caesar highlighted recent achievements of the sector including the continued export of cattle
to Grenada where some 120 heads valued at EC$250,000 were exported, the expansion of coffee pro-
duction by some 50 acres, the growth of the Cocoa Industry which currently employs 250 persons,
producing 3 distinct types of chocolate and an expansion to over 800 acres. He also indicated that
some three 40-foot containers of root
crops particularly dasheen from South
Central Windward were exported to the
US Market, the increasing output of
arrowroot starch from some 30,000 lbs
in 2012 to approximately 100,000 lbs
currently. With respect to fisheries, he
highlighted the Public-Private Partner-
ship for the operationalization of the
Fisheries Centers and through this ini-
tiative the success of the Bequia Sea-
food Company realizing approximately
EC$1/4 million dollars through the ex-
port of fisheries products.
Minister Caesar delivering the feature address at the opening
Specifically to the project, he urged that ceremony of the OECS Agricultural Competitiveness Project.
the project be efficiently implemented