(GIS) — The new Castries market facility will be officially handed over this month. At the new facility, vendors will enjoy the comfort of covered vending facilities, built-in vending stations, and storage lockers. Mayor of Castries Peterson D. Francis encouraged vendors to seize the opportunities and new business that will come with the new vending facility. Prime Minister of Saint ...

In a bid to bolster more activity within the apiculture industry, agriculture leaders have forged an alliance with the government and people of the Republic of Argentina, a country known to strategically advance its agriculture and farming sector to meet new global standards. His Excellency Gustavo Martinez Pandiani, ambassador of the Argentine Republic to Barbados and the OECS, made a ...

Agriculture continues to be an important livelihood in rural communities in Saint Lucia. As such, Export Saint Lucia has been placing enormous focus on the sector to improve rural livelihoods. The Black Bay Farmers’ Cooperative recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Export Saint Lucia to help build capacity. CEO of Export Saint Lucia, Ms. Sunita Daniel, emphasized that ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, Natural Resources and Co-operatives, Export Saint Lucia and Compete Caribbean hosted a National Beekeepers Meeting earlier this week. The meeting is an activity of the “Bee City Project,” which seeks to address the issues and to stimulate growth of the island’s honey industry. Honey production and exports present a viable economic option ...

Former Minister of Agriculture Moses Jn Baptiste believes Saint Lucia can generate at least EC$200 million “worth of economic activity” through local food production and marketing in the short to medium term. Jn Baptiste made that statement on his official Facebook page today, Oct. 16 as he observes World Food Day. The international theme for this year’s observance is “Our ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — Farmers, students, and agriculture stakeholders from seven OECS member states were recently trained in crop scheduling and water use efficiency for climate change by the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Saint Lucia. The two-day workshop, held in Saint Lucia from September 24-25, utilized information and communication technologies (ICTs) to analyze market trends, schedule production, map ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives, in collaboration with the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PMDU) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), hosted a workshop focused on the cocoa sector. The workshop was held on Thursday, October 3, 2019 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the conference room ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — In a move to forge a closer relationship with the community and consumers at large, agriculture leaders in partnership with the Taiwanese Embassy have initiated a series of events that will serve to build interest in locally-produced foods, the people who grow them and the needs of the consumers. This forms part of the import substitution project ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — The Taiwan Technical Mission in Saint Lucia, together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives, launched its Farmer’s Training program on September 16, 2019. This training will continue for six weeks throughout all of the agricultural regions of Saint Lucia. It is our goal that at the end of the training, the ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — CCRIF SPC and the World Bank are pleased to announce that on July 1, the Facility issued the Caribbean Oceans and Aquaculture Sustainability FaciliTy (COAST) fisheries parametric insurance policy to two of its member governments – Grenada and Saint Lucia. The COAST insurance policies provide coverage for fisherfolk and other players in the fisheries industry to enable ...

The Taiwan Technical Mission has launched a new cooperative project in Saint Lucia aimed at decreasing the country’s import bills on seven crops: cabbage, lettuce, watermelon, cantaloupe, bell pepper, pineapple, and tomato. “The reason that these seven crops have [been] selected is because not only local farmers can grow them correctly, but also due to the high import bills on ...

Fishers and the fishing community continue be negatively impacted by the closure of the St. Lucia Fish Marketing Corporation Ltd. (SLFMC) and these concerns will be addressed at a press conference on Wednesday, May 29 by the St. Lucia Fisherfolk Cooperative Society Ltd., according to a notice inviting media operatives to attend the conference. “President of the St. Lucia Fisherfolk ...

The National Workers Union (NWU) said in a press release Tuesday (May 28) that it applauds the Saint Lucia delegation of public servants and government ministers who travelled to London, United Kingdom (UK) and Paris, Francis recently in search of new markets for Saint Lucia bananas. The union said the announcement that France is now willing to do business with ...

Information is being disseminated by a local talk show host falsely suggests that Winfresh has not been facilitating the trial shipment of bananas from Saint Lucia to the French market and that it is, in effect, undermining the initiative. Winfresh wishes to state publicly and unequivocally that this is a gross misrepresentation of the facts and of the part being ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — Taiwan Technical Mission, in cooperation with Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives, held “Banana Plants Preparation and Follower Setting Workshops” in Deglos, La Caye, Grace, Roseau, Woodland and Micoud on April 11th, 18th and 25th, and May 2nd, 9th and 16th. Agricultural specialists from Taiwan Technical Mission introduced Saint Lucian farmers ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — The government of Saint Lucia recognizes that a successful agriculture industry is critical to the sustainable development of Saint Lucia. Hence, the government continues to enhance and source markets for the island’s new and emerging crops as well as current crops such as bananas. In that regard, Prime Minister Honourable Allen Michael Chastanet and Minister for Agriculture, ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — The government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has recently selected Ai-Lin Chen to serve as the specialist for the project for the Enhancement of the Efficiency of Production-Distribution Supply Chains in the Fruit and Vegetable Sector in Taiwan Technical Mission in Saint Lucia. Chen recently graduated from the University of California, Davis where she earned dual ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — Principal officers, implementing a soil fertility project in Saint Lucia, met last week to revise the ongoing project. The delegation comprised the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morrocco to Saint Lucia, His Excellency Abderrahim Kadmiri, and the technical team from the Department of Agriculture headed by the Hon. Minister, Ezechiel Joseph. The team met to review the ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — The Embassy of Saint Lucia to the United States participated on April 11 in a signing ceremony between the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) and the Pan-American Development Foundation (PADF), that will amongst other things, support small-scale urban agriculture in Saint Lucia. H.E. Anton Edmunds, Saint Lucia’s ambassador to the United ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — Two top officials from the Prime Minister’s Office along with the Taiwan Technical Mission (ICDF) staff paid a courtesy call and a field visit to some of the project areas of the Banana Productivity Improvement Project (BPIP). The visit, which took place on April 4, 2019 Thursday last week, gave the officials a bird’s eye view of ...

(SNO) — The Saint Luia government has commissioned a reconfigured cocoa micro-fermentation plant in Anse Ger, Micoud which Prime Minister Allen Chastanet said will assist efforts at agricultural diversification on the island. In a statement on his Facebook page, Chastanet said the facility will assist cocoa farmers improve the fermenting process of their product. “The establishment of the chocolate factory ...

(SNO) — Export Saint Lucia is expressing confidence that some fruits from the island will soon hit the United States (US) market. Sunita Daniel, chief executive officer of Export Saint Lucia, said presently fruits such as sour sop, mangoes and golden apples are not allowed into the US. But change is on the horizon as contacts have been made with ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — Rehabilitation work is ongoing along the main road leading to the Edmund Forest and En Bas Saut Waterfall in Soufriere. The road, which serves the farmers of Migny, Fond St. Jacques and Desraches, was badly affected by Hurricane Tomas in 2010, and has remained untouched since. Its rehabilitation will provide access to the rain forest for tourists, ...

(SNO) — The fisheries sector in Saint Lucia has received aid grant to the tune of US$1.8 million from Japan which will go towards the procurement of essential equipment. On Wednesday, March 13, 2019, the official Exchange of Notes for the aid was held between the government of Japan and the government of Saint Lucia to be specifically targeted towards ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — The Taiwan Technical Mission (ICDF) on Wednesday last week handed over some 38 pack houses to local banana farmers. The facilities, which have been under construction during the past month, with funds from the ICDF, is part of a post-Tropical Storm Kirk program designed to ensure that more banana farmers obtain Global GAP certification, thereby gain access ...

(SNO) — Banana farmers in Saint Lucia, impacted by Tropical Storm Kirk, are getting assistance from Taiwan to stabilize their income, according to a press release. This is being done by the Taiwan Technical Mission in collaboration with the Banana Productivity Improvement Project (BPIP) of the Ministry of Agriculture, through the distribution of over 20,000 seedlings of short-term fruit and vegetable ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — The Ministry of Agriculture, with technical support from the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), through the Taiwan Technical Mission, has implemented a record-keeping book workshop. The exercise, which included a donation of 600 farm management record books to farmers, will help banana farmers achieve Global GAP certification. All farmers wishing to access the international market ...

(SNO) — The government of Saint Lucia is attempting to tackle the dilemma facing banana export to the United Kingdom (UK) and is predicting higher production in the first half of 2019, according to a Ministry of Agriculture press release. On Thursday, December 20, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet and Agriculture Minister Ezechiel Joseph, along with his team, met with representatives ...

(SNO) — The Saint Lucia banana is facing mounting problems in the United Kingdom (UK) market with projection for 2019 showing a 60 percent cut in export. Communication manager at the Winfresh Banana Export Company, Silvanius Fontenard told DBS TV that supermarkets in the UK are presently dictating who they buy from, what quantities they are willing to buy, and ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — The Honourable Ezechiel Joseph, Minister for Agriculture, accompanied by the Honourable Minister Herod Stanislaus visits Taiwan 5-9 November 2018, to get a first-hand experience of Taiwan’s agricultural development and technologies. On 6 November, they visited the 2018 World Flora Exposition in the central Taiwan city of Taichung and marveled at the spectacular floral arrangements there. They believe ...

(PRESS RELEASE) – The Department of Labour is inviting members of the public, who are interested in seeking employment in the Canada-Caribbean Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme, to collect application forms at the Department from October 24th 2018 to November 12th 2018. This Programme involves working on Farms in Canada in such areas as VEGETABLES, FRUITS, GREEN HOUSES, FLOWERS, TOBACCO, inclusive ...

(PRESS RELEASE) – Taiwan Technical Mission, in cooperation with Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives, held a Banana Rehabilitation Workshop in Deglos, La caye, Grace, Roseau, and Micoud on 9-10 October 2018. The Taiwan Technical Mission is providing Saint Lucian farmers with climate change adaptation expertise such as intercropping of vegetables and fruits, or ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — The Saint Lucian Minister responsible for Agriculture, the Honorable Ezechiel Joseph, signed on October 5, 2018 the Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Agriculture of Cuba (MINAGRI), which was represented by Ambassador Jorge Soberon. During the signing ceremony of the agreement, the Saint Lucian Minister mentioned the satisfactory results of his visit to Cuba in 2018 ...

(PRESS RELEASE) — Over the past two months, Taiwan Technical Mission in Saint Lucia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, has been disseminating a wide range of new banana technologies to local farmers via the Banana Productivity Improvement Project (BPIP). Overall, 17 workshops covering 8 agricultural regions were held and 470 farmers have benefitted from BPIP. The workshops were conducted ...

W.E.B Dubois once said “There is no force equal to a woman determined to rise” and that quote comes to mind when we introduce this month’s #HerStory feature – Mrs. Uraline Alphonse. Hailing from the community of Desruisseaux, she was born into a family of farmers, but like many persons not having the opportunity to go to a secondary school, ...

(SNO) — There seems to be no solution to the myriad of problems plaguing the St. Lucia Fish Marketing Corporation. That’s according to staff members of the Corporation, who for the past few months, have been receiving their salaries late. “Things are getting worst at the Corporation. There seems to be no solution to the problems it is experiencing,” a ...

(PRESS RELEASE) – Export Saint Lucia (TEPA) is making strides towards strengthening ties with the Department of Agriculture. In May of this year, the Agency and the Department of Agriculture, signed an MOU agreement that would see greater collaboration between the two entities. Export Saint Lucia (TEPA) on Tuesday September 18, 2018 made the donation of two pieces of equipment ...

(PRESS RELEASE) – USDA/APHIS, the OECS Commission and Saint Lucia authorities are working together to implement the “Don’t Pack a Pest Outreach Programme”. The programme provides a platform for participating countries to increase the traveling public’s awareness of the risks associated with carrying food and agricultural items throughout the region and is an essential component of safeguarding agriculture and natural ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – The OECS and EU sponsored Saint Lucia Mango Festival held last week met all expectations as the event brought together 16 exhibitors and 500 participants at the Constitution Park in Castries. The festival aimed at raising public awareness on the Mango Biodiversity Project which was started in 2017 in order to limit land erosion in ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – The Ministry of Agriculture and the Taiwan technical Mission jointly held a watermelon production workshop in Micoud on 6th September, 2018. More than 50 farmers and extension officers attended the workshop. Trainees were taught the know-how of watermelon production to improve their production both in quality and quantity. At the workshop, Taiwan expert, Mr. Tim ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – How to better assess vulnerability in coastal communities to inform adaptation in the Eastern Caribbean fisheries sector? This was the central question addressed at a regional workshop in Barbados recently with government and civil society stakeholders, including the Caribbean Network of Fisherfolk Organisations (CNFO), Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – Tackling the region’s high food import bill and improving food security is increasingly being explored through aquaponics or the production of food that combines aquaculture (farming fish) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. This potential was highlighted by the recent visit to the Choiseul aquaponics facility and mobile desalination plant in ...

(SNO) – Redesign the Vieux-Fort Fisheries Complex to make it more attractive! That’s what fishers of Vieux-Fort want to see happen in order for them to effectively utilise the marine resources in the community. They made this suggestion at a workshop held by a Japanese Overseas Cooperative Volunteer for fisheries development, aimed at seeking opinions and views on ways to ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – The 5th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Environmental Sustainability (COMES 5) is currently being held at the Cultural Centre in Brades, Montserrat during the period July 9-11 under the theme “Building Resilience on the Frontlines of Climate Change”. The meeting is chaired by Minister of Agriculture, Trade, Lands, Housing and the Environment of ...

(SNO) – Banana farmers in the south of the island who have been pondering their fate in the industry are now breathing a sigh of relief. That’s because Winfresh has reneged on its decision to discontinue operations at the Vieux Fort port and have farmers in the south to market their produce at La Caye, Dennery. The farmers were given ...

(GIS) – A group of eight Saint Lucian men are now gainfully employed on farms in British Columbia, making it the first time Saint Lucians have journeyed to that province under the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Farm Workers Programme. This opportunity was made possible following last year`s visit to Canada by Labour Minister Hon. Stephenson King, to meet with current and ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – The “Farmer Field School Program 2018”, a joint-initiative between Saint Lucia and Taiwan, held a graduation ceremony at Marigot Secondary School on June 20, 2018. The 53 local farmers who completed the three-month training course were given certificates of recognition. H.E. Douglas C. T. Shen, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Hon. Ezechiel Joseph, ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – The Mille Fleur Honey Producers’ Cooperative Society Ltd in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Inter-American Institute of Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) will be hosting two half-day training sessions for beekeepers in the north and south of the island. The training sessions are scheduled for Tuesday June 19th at the Department of Fisheries ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – A new Taiwan-Saint Lucia agriculture project, Saint Lucia Commercial Orchid Greenhouse Management Project, has been launched at Union Orchid Garden facility recently. This latest venture aimed to develop a standardized model for the commercial production of orchid and enhance the greenhouse management capacity of local farmers. On June 13th, 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture cooperated ...

(GIS) – The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) working within the interest of the local agricultural sector presented to stakeholders its programme of activities for the year 2017. The accountability seminar, which was held at the Union Orchid Garden Center in Union, on May 30, invited participation by representatives from partnering agencies such as the diplomatic core, CARDI, ...

(GIS) – A new policy and strategic plan is being developed for the livestock sub-sector in Saint Lucia. Stakeholders from within the livestock industry met recently to discuss a new focus for livestock development for the next ten to fifteen years. The discussions were spearheaded by the veterinary and livestock services division of the Department of Agriculture, with the assistance ...

(GIS) – Farmers of Region Seven who are currently enrolled in farmer field school were instructed on the various techniques being used in the production of cherry tomatoes. The farmers visited the Union Agricultural Station where four different varieties of the cherry tomatoes are currently being grown using greenhouse technology. The plot was used to demonstrate to farmers the best ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – The Taiwan Mission from the inception of the Aquaculture Project in Saint Lucia has contributed significantly to the development of aquaculture in Saint Lucia. Noting that global marine fishing stocks have dwindled over recent years, the promotion and development of aquaculture has been identified as priority both nationally and regionally, as a means of increasing ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – Taiwan Technical Mission in Saint Lucia in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture held the Greenhouse Tomato Production Workshop at Union on May 23th, 2018. More than 54 local farmers and extension officers attended the event. At the event, Mr.Tim Shiao, Taiwan expert, taught local farmers the know-how in greenhouse farming, including skillful pruning, disease ...

(GIS) – The Trade Export Promotion Agency (TEPA) has partnered with the Department of Agriculture and other agencies within the agriculture sector to strengthen ties in an effort to see increases in the trading of local agricultural goods. On Tuesday, May 15, representatives from TEPA and the Department of Agriculture signed a Memorandum of Understanding to officially begin the process ...

(GIS) – More farmers are now certified agri-entrepreneurs following training in good agricultural practices. A Farmer Field School graduation exercise was held in the administrative building of the Meat Processing Facility in Vieux Fort, and saw the culmination of 22 weeks of training in swine production. Twenty-nine individuals completed the programme. The graduation ceremony for swine producers marks the end ...

(GIS) – The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), working toward the Sustainable Development Goals and towards the achievement of food security in member countries, sought assistance from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in dealing with issues relating to agriculture and livestock. The IAEA is an international organization which seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy while ...

(GIS) – The Banana Production Improvement Project is continuing its sensitization exercise to educate farmers on the importance of having their farms insured. Project Manager Kerde Severin said this year, the plan is to get most of the farmers registered with the Caribbean Risk Insurance Facility Segregated Portfolio Company or CCRIF SPC. In 2007, the facility became the world’s first ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – Taiwan Technical Mission in Saint Lucia cooperated with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives of Saint Lucia held the Cantaloupe Production Workshop in Dennery on April 25th, 2018. More than 30 farmers and extension officers attended the event. Farmers was taught how to improve the Cantaloupe production by skillful pruning, ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – More than twenty agricultural practitioners across eleven Caribbean countries have concluded a two-week study tour to Japan. The study tour, supported by the United Nations Development Programme’s Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (UNDP J-CCCP), held a primary focus of transferring knowledge and applicable technologies from Japan to the Caribbean. During the tour, participants learned various agricultural ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – The number of Saint Lucians employed on the Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Farm Worker Programme is on the rise. Since assuming responsibilities as the Minister for Labour in June 2016, Honorable Stephenson King has been on a drive to ensure that many more Saint Lucians benefit from the Canadian initiative which began in 1967. In his ...

(GIS) – The Commission of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States is building upon progress to safeguard the Eastern Caribbean’s agricultural sector through greater access to applied farming technology from South America in the face of climate change and food security concerns. Representatives from the Commission recently joined eleven high level officials from Caribbean agricultural ministries, the CARICOM Secretariat and ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – The Commission of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States is building upon progress to safeguard the Eastern Caribbean’s agricultural sector through greater access to applied farming technology from South America in the face of climate change and food security concerns. Representatives from the Commission recently joined eleven High Level Officials from Caribbean Agricultural Ministries, CARICOM ...

(PRESS RELEASE VIA SNO) – Reducing Saint Lucia’s agricultural importation bill is a signature priority of our nation. The Global Environment Fund (GEF) Small Grants Project has, through the award of a pilot project, been assisting the Saint Lucia Floral Co-operative Society to transform the local floral industry by integrating less toxic inputs into the production process. Over thirty farmers ...

Vieux-Fort fishers have expressed concern about the steep drop in fish landings in Vieux Fort and have blamed it on climate change. According to the fishers, this is the first time they have experienced such low catch during the month of March, which is normally peak season. The worried fishers told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) that they hope the ...