 Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move. Hello again, St. Lucia. Welcome to the program, Agriculture on the Move. I am Philip Sidney, your host. Today, we'll be reviewing the third annual Havanaura National Honey Show held here in St. Lucia in December last year. We will look dissected, look at the successes and objectives and everything about that show. And here with me is Mr. Richard Mathiles, who is the president of the Ionola Epiculture Collective, who's also the master beekeeper and, of course, the coordinator of the Honey Show. Welcome to the program, sir. Thank you, Mr. Sidney. Great, good, good, good. So we had a successful Honey Show this year, last year in fact, which was the third one. Yes. Great. Give us a review. This year's show was special in the fact that we were able to incorporate our OECS brothers and sisters into the show this year. So we had participants from as far north as the British Virgin Islands and as far south as Grenada and all the islands in between, except for Martinique and Guadalupe this year, but that past participation with Dominica and Tigas and Kitsuneves and Guila. And Guila was there also. Guila was there also and to the south of us and Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada and, of course, St. Lucia. So we had a fully, a full complement of participants and plus our St. Lucia beekeepers. So we really had a very interesting show this year. A lot of bragging rights were underlined in one form or another. OK. So what's your objective of this show? The objective of the Honey Show is an opportunity for beekeepers to show the best product and they have the best of their honey, the best of what they can produce. I think through consecutive entries and consecutive entries into the competition, we will find from year one when we first started, every year the quality of the entries get much better, more refined, people homing on the skills. You know, the honey entries get much better, the wax entries get much better, the paintings are even more paintings, more photographs, everything is just more. So I think it helps build awareness of apiculture, just not as some old guy in an old suit under the bushes somewhere, tinkering with some flying insects. We actually give a little more significance to that and allow persons to experience a different range and flavors and textures of honey that you would see throughout the year. So you have different categories of colors of honey and normally the color of the honey would somehow give an indication of the type of bouquet that the honey would have. So the very clear light colored honey is normally have a very flowery, flower bouquet, whereas the darker honeys will have a more fruity, poignant flavor. So it's good for not only the beekeepers, but participants to be able to, so the general public to be able to interact with the beekeepers and find their favorite flavor. And then the beekeeper could tell them, well, you know, if the honey is from this time of the year, it tastes like this because of these types of flowers are in bloom and this one is because of these type of flowers are in bloom. So it brings the beekeepers and the general public greater awareness to the different variety in the products and also the importance of bees to the biodiversity of our country. In terms of livelihoods, the people who participated, they had a moment to actually showcase what they produced, right? Yes, so we did actually have opportunities for beekeepers, we had vendors on all three days of the honey show, two days in the castries in the town hall area, and one day up north in Ijuaya Marina where we did our closing ceremony. So it was an opportunity for generic cells from your honey and any other related products extracted from the eye. High of this year, we were a little more diverse. We asked for some of our benefits to be more artisanal. So persons that were making teas and other local products with what was a good opportunity for them to participate in that kind of forum and get that kind of exposure to the general public and to make some interesting networking opportunities. But then it challenges to, I mean, bring the other islands together. I know there is this phytosanitary barriers. How were you able to overcome that? We worked closely with the Ministry of Agriculture through the Veterinary Life Stock Division and prerequisites for all our entries coming in from outside of St. Lucia was to get their phytosanitary certificates to accompany their entries so that we can ensure that all entries were in good proper order and from recognized beekeepers from their country of origin. And we had some very secure protocols. So once the honey arrived in St. Lucia, it became the possession of the honey show. So our honey arriving into St. Lucia, we took custody of it, we secured it. We put it up on display every day and took it down and resecured it and put it back up on display the following days and resecured it. And then when once persons were leaving to go back to their country of origin, we gave them back their honeys to go back to their country of origin. So no honey that came from outside of St. Lucia, staying in St. Lucia, all went back to its country of origin. So we didn't in any way... No contamination. Yeah, no, we didn't in any way compromise phytosanitary standards of St. Lucia and there was no chances taken. So everything that came in went back out. Take us to the first day. Well, it was a week of activities. It wasn't just the Friday, Saturday and Sunday which was the actual honey show. Persons through our partnership with the OECS and the Biospace and the European Union. We had a project with them. They actually funded to bring down all the participants, two participants from... And some countries, more than two participants. Countries at Dominic, I think we bought three or four people down. So Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis, it's a two and a half federations. So we bought two people from St. Kitts and two people from Nevis came across. So through that funding opportunity through the OECS and the Biospace project funded by the EU, we were able to bring people down for really a week of activities. So they came, a lot of persons started coming in from the Saturday, the Sunday. The Monday we had a presentation. The first day we had a presentation, a discussion and like a lecture series. So we had a number of different top persons joined by Zoom. We haven't actually even had persons from Guadalupe and Martinik joined those sessions by Zoom where we were different guest speakers throughout the day. We had a preliminary presentation. We had a presentation from the EU on how to export products into the EU. So they gave us a very good session on that. We had another session from Jeff SGP talking about their funding opportunities and also about the Mali project in Viewfort, which is hopefully gonna break ground this year. Then we had a presentation from Dr. Randall Esnard, who is doing an economic scoping study on the value of honey into livelihoods in persons into the OECS. So he was presenting some of his preliminary results in that forum. We also had a presentation from Dr. David Tarpy from North Carolina State University on viral loads of different viruses found in bees in the Caribbean and some of the work that we have been doing with him in looking at that research and looking at the different viruses that are present in the bees in the Caribbean at this time. So it was a really packed first day and then we had a cocktail in the evening funded by the British High Commission. So that was a great experience. So everybody got the opportunity to meet and greet and talk in a nice social environment. The Tuesday was the first of our study tours. So the Tuesday we were in the, if I remember correctly, we were in the, no, the south of the island on the first day. So we went down to Viewfort, the Makoti mangrove. We went to Souffre and Swazel and we visited Telapia and let his farm down in Swazel. Jamison. Jamison, yes. Yeah. And then we did bees in the mangrove. Then we did a mangrove tour and talk. Then we went to Jamison. Then we went to Souffre, local spill of Souffre, South of Springs. And then we headed back up to Castries. That was a Tuesday. The Wednesday we were in the north of the island. So we went to the ISC's newly opened laboratory. We got a surprise visit that the Prime Minister came and visited us because in his constituency. So he gave us a surprise visit which was really a great plus. From there we went up to Deborah. We were looking at some bees in Deborah in the community of Deborah. And then we had a nice, they did a fish fry on the Wednesday. So we started the fish fry every early in the afternoon. So we had a nice fish fry. They did a special fish fry for us early in the Wednesday afternoon. And then we had the Capesh solo band played for us. And that was really good cultural experience for our visitors from across the region. And then we came back to base after that. So that was a Wednesday. Thursday we had our round table session where we would discuss, review some of the stuff we saw for the week and try to plan our way forward for apiculture, for the region and things that we wanted to undertake as a group, as OECS beekeepers for the coming years and so that we can give some guidance to the OECS and hopefully take a petition on our behalf to the ministers of government in the various islands to help safeguard apiculture as a livelihood and try to put together ways to harmonize the opportunities for the trade of honey between the islands. So it's not too erroneous or too difficult for if there's a country that requires, say for instance, Anguilla is a very beautiful place but it's very small square miles. But there's probably a need for honey but they can't meet the demands. Rather than honey being imported from America or Europe to meet that demand, we should be trying to export from within our region so that we don't contaminate, that we maintain a certain cytosanitary boundaries within ourselves by bringing an international honey into our space. Bringing foreign potential diseases and so forth. So if we're all maintaining a certain level of agreed cytosanitary standards, we should be able to do business amongst ourselves. And especially the islands where there is a great, there's an under capacity in production, we should be able to meet that from within the region rather than importing. So that will help with foreign exchange to a massive amount by every little dollar helps. With livelihoods. And especially it will help support livelihoods within the region. So this is some of the conversations that we had at the round table meeting and try to discuss a way forward in that regard. So that was a great session I think. We should have some, we have a documentary of the week of activities coming up soon. So hopefully we'll be able to, you folks at GIS will be able to share it for us. Then we had the opening of the honey show in the city hall on the Friday morning, which is well attended, PS and the PS in the Ministry of Agriculture, EECA, Jeff SGP and a whole British High Commissioner. OECS. OECS or a whole set of dignitaries we left for the opening. And obviously all of our local and regional delegates participants were there. So it was a really nice occasion. Really, to see how far we've developed from year one to year three, I think that was a real achievement in us having that level of focus. So I was really proud of that. And we had a lot more entries this year, almost over 300 entries this year. So we really had a really good spread. So the week of activities, the Friday was fantastic. The whole point we do for our break. You're watching agriculture on the move, stay tuned, we'll be back very, very soon. Happy 45. Uncle Oboe wants you a committee at the bottom. Baguia show. Ministry of Agriculture, Festival, Sakai Bade. Sir, I said, this should do it. When the February, every week is complex. Sun, Susi, Happy Independence. Baguia show. Available, National Entertainment, Independence seafood festival, Lakai Nipapavet, Ngozi and Tim, Visio Mani, and lots more. Hi, Ikaibon. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ikaibon. Umakaila, Ikaibon. Poesofi, Ikaibon. Lubimoti, Ikaibon. Kids all available. Big Mamas by Full Blast. Welcome back to the program, Agriculture on the Move. We are just, of course, reviewing the third annual honey show held in St. Lucia in December. And of course, Matthias is here to give us, you know, a ball by ball, as it were. So the actual competition was held on the first day or the second day? Friday, so the Friday, we start receiving entries. So we had all of our entries from the OECS islands already. Because remember, as the guys came in with it, we collected all entries. So we had all that on display. And then you've got the Friday now is for our local participants to start bringing their honey also to enter into the competition. So the Friday is really a receipt. Friday and the Saturday are really receiving days. Okay. Opportunities for do some vending in the Constitution Park area. Mapidi. Yeah, so the Friday and the Saturday, you know, you've got the heavy footfall on the Friday, and the Saturday. The weather was a little inclement, but I think we still braved. We did well during those periods. And then the Sunday, so Saturday afternoon is when we actually judge the entries. So you really, the judges will go for everything on a Saturday. And then the Sunday, we would do the prize giving, put the trophy. So where did you just came from? We have two judges that support us from the UK National Honey Show. So we have two first class judges, Bill Fisher and Sue Carter. They've been with us, helped to nurture. From the first? From the first, yeah. So they've been with us from the first honey show to help us, you know, nurture us from strength to strength. You know, obviously this year, we got the great news that last year, so we got the great news that young Donston had one best honey in the world, winning category 10 at the UK National Honey Show. The guy from Sufrey? The guy from Sufrey, yes. So all these things have culminated from us having our honey show in St. Lucia. So it's very important that we use these opportunities to help develop our product and measure our product against, you know, not just local honey, but international honey. And see where our product stands. So we might not make cars, but we make good honey. You know, so you might not get a rocket ship out of us, but you'll get some fantastic honey out of us. So the things that we have, being small island states, limited resources, I think it's important, the things that we can do well, we do showcase them to show that, you know, hey, you know, we do this and we do that. I mean, you know, we don't have made iron ore or steel or gold or, but what we do have is great biodiversity, you know. And the prizes that the Sunday was the prize-giving? Yes. What's the future to come? Well, unfortunately, we didn't want the best OECS, the best of the OECS competition. We didn't win that one. That went to Dominica. Young man from Dominica, Nathaniel, a lover, really dedicated beekeeper. I visited Zephyrus in Dominica. He did very, very, very well. So Nathaniel actually won the best with his honey. He was, the judges deemed that one the best out of all of them. For St. Lucia side of the competition, for the best in show for out of St. Lucia. It was young Donson, well, Emerald Farms won, but Donson looks after Emerald Farm bees, that's his employer. So it was still good for them. So I think we really had a very good, a good show-in. And I think it's just a measure of where we can get stronger and stronger, the more that we compete and work together. And it's not really a competition as such. I think we had, if you were to do most in points for the overall show, St. Lucia won the most points in the overall show because we had more entries than anybody else. It was a local competition. So it would be very difficult for anybody to gain more points in us. So most points in show, we won that. But overall best honey day, we got tipped for an entry from Dominica. But I think it's our sister. It's our sister Island. So it's just like we won, man. So it's not, you know, it's the two very few Creole-speaking islands in the Caribbean. So if our sister Island would take it, another problem. So that's what we were working with. So that's what we were working with. And I think it's down to us to compete and do better next year and have more entries. I know some of the beekeepers in St. Lucia had a bit of a tough year, a honey production wise. Well, I was just coming to that to ask you what are the constraints in terms of climate change and? Well, climate change is always going to be a factor. It was, I mean, it didn't really affect any of my apres, so to speak. But I know a lot of people did say that they had some difficulties with production this year. So it really hampered some people this year in putting out their best honey. Honey they thought they would have got didn't culminate for them. But as I said, you know, it's all you can do is try everything. And I think the honey show is more of a celebration of beekeeping. It's there is a competitive element to it. But I think it's more the comradery, the coming together and really sharing information, sharing information, a lot of networking, a lot of techniques, a lot of I think this was the important things that came out of the honey show. I know you all had that in tandem with the activity at the Rosby Marina in terms of sale. How was that? I think sales on the Sunday were fantastic. Very, very good. All the honey sold out. Anybody who had honey to sell sold out. All the vendors had a great time. They sold out very, very well. We did a we had a consultant do a monitoring evaluation report. And this it was very good. OK, so overall in terms of the reporting and the activities in those written, look, look, look at look at one, one, one to one to 100. One to 100. I mean, there's always room for improvement. I would give us 80 percent. I think I think it would be 80 percent. I think we had more exhibitors than last year, which is a which is a plus. I think every I think we kind of did a blend. Year one, we were that we did the whole thing in the town hall over two days. Then year two, we did it in one day at Iguai Marina. Year three, we did a combination of two days in town and finalizing at the marina. So I think we may have just got the right fit, right? Utilizing both both venues. I think it's good to bring honey to the masses. I don't think we just have it up at Rodney Bay and just have it only the people who don't forget to experience it. So I think it's good that we brought it to the masses. We had it in. We did two days in castries. So it gives everybody opportunity running through town to you know, inquire, look and see. I wonder. I think one of the areas we need to work on to improve on is to get. We had a lot more kids involved in the arts and the art the art and photography category, but it'd be good to see even more participants. Who won? Who won this? Oh, there was a young lady having it on my phone. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Long lady won that. And both the adult art Sabrina Romulus, you won it. Yes, last year she won again this year for painted painting of a depiction of an of a beekeeping scene. So that was that was good. It was good. I mean, amalgamated some of the categories that everybody's in it. So, you know, I think we picked a solution. She did very, very well. We picked up the art. We picked up the local that the junior arts, the wax, the waxes, classes. So we did solution very, very well. There's also moving forward this year, maybe prior to the honey show, the the Congress. Tell us about that. Yes. So we're we are hopefully looking to host the Association of Caribbean Beekeeping Organizations, Beekeepers Congress in for this the same week of the honey show. So as a run up for this year's honey show, we're trying to just put the final details on it to ink it in. But we're looking to have a week of similar week of beekeeping activities, but we have all the beekeepers from across the Caribbean. Hey, with us. So this December is going to be, you know, rocking a lot of beekeepers on the island. We'll probably still restrict our entries just to the OECS for phytosanitary reasons. But it'll be good for our regional beekeepers to come and see what's an offer and how our honey show racks up. I know a lot of the beekeepers from the other islands are eager to come back and now they've got a little taste. They'll taste. Yeah, they've tasted the experience. They want to come back and do better this year. So I think it's important that we continue with the event and it helps give everybody strength funding. I mean, I'm sure it took a lot. Yes, it was. Can you highlight the funding collaborators? Oh, Ministry of Agriculture was one of our key partners. Obviously, the OECS and the Biospace Project was a significant fund that they funded all the flights and accommodation for the OECS brothers and sisters to come down. Ministry of Agriculture was a key funder in hosting, but get helping us with the logistics and cover the costs of a lot of really important things for the for the event. Accommodation of the judges and venues and equipment and stuff like that. So it takes a lot of it's not it's it's it's very expensive, you know. So Massey was on board with us. Republic Bank was on board with us. Coxson Company gave us good support. Obviously, the IGUI Marine and the YARC were on board with us. Susha Susha Susha National Conservation Fund. Mr. Craig and his team gave us a lot of good support. So there was a lot of we got a lot of support from across different sectors of the island, financial institutions, and grant agencies, Jeff, ministry. So we had a real good collaboration. Good collaboration, it takes a lot of it takes a lot of energy and effort and obviously resources. And I know your back, your back is broad. So I want to thank you, thank you for for that activity. Thank you, my brother. I'm hoping that this year will be bigger and better. Yes. Get more participants of the OECS. Of course. And move forward. Thank you again. Thank you, sir. You've been watching our report on the move. Of course, I want to remind you of our Seafood Festival, Independence Seafood Festival in the 22nd, which is Independence Day. The Fisheries Complex waterfront. Make sure you come, come, then enjoy, bring the kids. It's going to be really, really, really good this year because it's the only activity on that day in castries. So you can't miss it. Don't cook lunch. We will take you through from 12 until 9. Of course, with entertainment, kids corner and the likes. Thank you again for viewing. Remember, agriculture is our business. Eat fresh. It's the best. I'm Philip Sidney saying bye bye.