The Agriculture Ministry is in receipt of inputs and equipment from the Taiwan Technical Mission as efforts are being made to address the shortcomings of the agriculture sector.

The second phase of the Seven Crops Project, a joint collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development and the Taiwan Technical Mission is in lockstep with Caricom’s “Twenty-five by 2025 Initiative” which is aimed at reducing extra-regional agri-food imports by 25% by 2025. In their latest feat, the Seven Crops Project handed over inputs as well as battery-operated small machinery to the Agriculture Ministry as part of their efforts to create a more sustainable and appealing agriculture sector.

The handing over ceremony also saw the recommencement of seedling production and distribution in an effort to further bridge the gap between supply and demand. Ambassador of the Republic of China Taiwan to Saint Lucia, H.E. Peter Chia-yen Chen says these initiatives are aimed at strengthening farmers’ capacity to combat the sector’s numerous production challenges.

“We hope to introduce more effective, efficient, and smarter farming. As for the seedlings, the Taiwan Technical Mission has joined with the Ministry of Agriculture to allow farmers to attend seedling at affordable prices. They consist of 11000 watermelons, 10000 tomatoes as well as honeydew, bell peppers, melons and cabbage. For this, I would like to commend Hon. Minister Alfred Prospere’s initiative and his consideration and care to farmers.”

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development, Hon. Alfred Prospere thanked the Government and People of Taiwan for their ongoing assistance in enhancing the overall effectiveness of Saint Lucia’s agri-food system. Minister Prospere has been a champion of agricultural technology as a means of increasing crop productivity and making the sector more appealing to young people.

 “We must reach out to our farmers to ensure that they buy into those new technologies because we need that new technology for the agriculture sector. We cannot continue to put our farmers through the hard work that they are doing and getting nothing in return. So I’m hoping that the tillers and the other pieces of equipment that we have received from the government and people of Taiwan will be efficiently utilized by the farmers and the farmers will see  the success of it, they will benefit from it and we can encourage our farmers to procure those pieces of equipment to make life much easier for them in the agricultural sector.”

Minister Prospere reaffirmed his commitment to continue strengthening ties with sector partners and working closely with farmers to support a more productive and user-friendly farming sector that expands in a systematic and rapid manner.