The Plant Research and Development Division has been mandated to safeguard St Lucia’s plant resources from the entry establishment and spread of pests and diseases. The Division functions within four units, namely:  Crop Protection, Plant quarantine, Agronomy, Food technology, and agrochemicals management 

Objectives; 

2. Minimize the risk of transfer of exotic plant pests and diseases (into and out of Saint Lucia) in the conduct of trade.
   
3. Management of agrochemicals and toxic chemicals in an environmentally friendly manner for sustainable development.
4. Assist the agricultural sector with technical expertise in the areas of post-harvest technology, agro-processing, and soil and plant tissue diagnosis
5. To minimize adverse effects on the quality of crop yields through the management of endemic populations of plant pest and disease organisms
6. Assisting the agricultural sector by exploring new innovative techniques and transfer of technology for the enhancement of productivity

 The diagnostic services offered include; Plant Pathology, entomology, analytical chemistry, nematology, microbiology, food science, soil and plant tissue analyses.