  cancell                                                                                                                                                                                                                              AUA AAA Bangkok Rikshin workyouratwthey Jack has been tough,but dont know about the middle things Tell us abouthenson,give us a little background Alright,thank you for having me on your show today Basically,Henson is hinton Simple,down to earth Very helpful Like to have my foot process రినిక్న్న్న్తెస్త్తాటిఎలిదింంప్కెత్త్రి quantidade�పిమాయటా. మస్న్న్న్నోాపిటారనా. నంన్న్న్నున్నో.  Frankf� итесь చినియం నిస్టి కిలికి కెటికి . ఆటిటికూ నిస్టి క్టికికి కైట్టికి. మరిలెల౏టి మరిన్ వాలొటకిఆయాలి కకిలి . and be made out of the abundance of mangoes that are available in San Lucia. Well, for us at Island Fun Food San Lucia, we definitely will be presenting an additional seven new mango flavors. Yes, we're looking at mango passion, mango pineapple, mango strawberry, mango yogurt. We also will be doing mango ginger and your normally traditional mango flavor. Also our flavors, we are in keeping with health also and the well-being of our citizens. So it's a good thing we're looking at the shortage of sugar and believe it or not our sugar contents in our product is the recommendation of the Ministry of Health. I'm very excited this coming Friday mango mania to buy mango. We look forward to seeing the public and hope we could have an enjoyable time during the festival. Definitely but let's look at again as I mentioned earlier because you see all of this fits nicely into our program the Ministry has especially our Honorable Alfred Prosper, his mantra is looking at our food security, our food and nutrition security. And it has come to the fore in the sense that right now with what is happening around the world with the type of war in Ukraine, you know yes the prices of commodities arising in this market is soaring every day, however you know to get the points where we will have the money and we will not be able to get the commodity. Availability with the problem? Yes. It would be a big big problem. So what I believe we should be doing now is to plan what we can produce and to feed our people. I definitely agree with you. One of the responsibilities of the Ministry if I am corrected is to create the enabling environment for agro processors. And in a sense is to ensure that whatever product that an agro processor could come up with that there is the necessary support or the necessary system especially in a time where our food security is a priority on the government's agenda. And we now need to reduce our import bill. And it does require innovation. It does require creativity. And I believe the people of St. Lucia especially the youth they have demonstrated the creativity and the innovation. And it just require that enabling factor from the government agency to ensure a lot of the projects, a lot of the ideas are manifested. So I guess we need more push especially from the government agency to ensure some of those ideas are manifested. So I really look forward in the Ministry with the Ministry of Agriculture or the Ministry of Commerce to create the policies that one we could reduce our import bill. One our people will start it more healthy, have a longer healthier life. And two ensure that our young persons are the ideas that they have become not just only a dream but a reality. And that comes right into the palm of what the Prime Minister was saying about the youth economy. Now I hope you know that he's hearing that. He was at the Banana Festival. He saw what happened. He saw what the school children did. And I still go back and I always happen that I remember I'm sure you would know where I'm going. That school child from S with that sweet potato ice cream. Where is it today? We have to get it somewhere. I mean that ice cream to me was one of the best ice cream in the world. But where is she today that ice cream? So I'm saying here's an opportunity with the youth economy. Maybe somebody can work with her and then take it to the next level. And that is where I believe in the picture and what you have and move on. So there is supposed to me there should be a formula. There should be an office whereby kids that innovative can go and they can be helped to take them to the next level. Definitely I agree with you because in the agro processing industry there are a lot of challenges. And some of those challenges is exactly how you stated it. The young persons they have the ideas. Sweet potato idea is a brilliant idea. However, the lack of the enabling factor to push that idea forward to make it become a more product ready or acceptable to the public was missing. And as an agro processor we do face the challenges. One, we face challenges of financing. Two, we face the challenges of your proper facility so that your product could be manufactured. So sometimes the cost associated with a lot of persons might not be able to manage. And I'm agreeing with you if the youth economy does exactly what it intend to do I believe a lot of those ideas would definitely push St. Lucia in the forefront especially in the region because I've seen a lot of innovative ideas from young persons in St. Lucia. Even during the banana festival just look at the amount of dishes that the primary school children were able to do. And that is one of the avenues that we have given them. It's unprecedented even before our green bull era that any value added product was done in banana until that year in 2022. So definitely there is room. There is room for improvement. There is room for growth. There is also room for where persons now could invest in young people ideas. And I would make a special plea on to persons that probably are well off or better capital with capital wise and that's what lacking in St. Lucia. Angel investors. When you have a young person that has a good idea but do not have the capital or the finance if an angel investor could just come on board and push that idea the sky is definitely the limit for our young generation. I love that terminology man. Angel investor. You're so correct. You're on point. Let me tell you something. People in St. Lucia, they are loaded with money and they are sitting in the bank and they are not investing it at all. They are sitting on it. And you are right. There should be some angel investment to come out there and help those young people take their hands and walk with them. That is necessary. And I think if that happens we will see more local businesses and that will be a room for to work with those young people to ensure that the product gets overseas and are talking about market. Tell me something about marketing your product. Are you satisfied with what's happening? With any business you have to have a well thought out plan. I guess with Fun Food St. Lucia with the assistance of some of my colleague, especially Jonathan Ale I always like to mention of him. We had a well thought out business plan even down to our marketing strategy. So all of those things were well planned. My advice to especially young persons that are coming out you need to have a business plan. First, you might have a good product. You think you have a good product. Secondly, you need to conduct your market research. And out of your market research you will know how strong your product is the likeability factor from the public and then you will know what direction you should take with your product. Definitely, well said. When we do for a break we are watching agriculture in the move. Stay tuned, we'll be back very soon. Thank you. The Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the Taiwan Technical Mission present a big mango festival Mango Mania It's happening on the 24th of June, 2022 at the Constitution Falcon castrate. This event starts from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. We are showcasing everything mango. Lots of mango recipes on display. Recipe books available. Mango eating competition. Mango plants on sale. Entertainment and lots more. It's Mango Mania. Toot bagai mango. 20th of June 2022 at the Constitution Falcon castrate From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. We are showcasing everything mango. So 10 out in numbers the Ministry of Agriculture has done it again. Welcome back to the program Agriculture in the move of course. Just in the ad we are definitely promoting the mango festival to be held on Friday the 24th of June at the Constitution Falcon castrate. Mango Mania. We'll go to the U.S. And of course we're with Mr. Hunt who is the manager of food limited and of course the distributor of Island Pop. Let me tell you we need I don't, I'm wondering whether you're to form yourself in an association an association of agro processors A if you all go that way in terms of funding from agencies, funding groups are not individuals. Like my good friend Giles Rhoemelas from Jeff, he will tell you that, and I am so happy that he has done so much work with a number of groups in this country and we have seen them moving forward. So it is just an idea maybe you can spare ahead that. If you approach people like Jeffston, you might approach the 번째 group here within Southeast Asia, maybe looking for a certain point where you can come together to do your agro-processing. One of many people is cost-buying. They work for a profit of how much we can deal with work. Like the solution of electrical problem in Babuno and Anjire, they have their own. But what are your thoughts on that? Definitely I agree with you. I think agro processors and that's what's trending right now. The agro processors definitely need to come together. There is strength in numbers. And if we as agro processors could come together, It's time for us to come together, it's time for us to show the people of Saint Lucia, the government of Saint Lucia that what we are doing we could change Saint Lucia, we could put Saint Lucia on the map with some of the products that we have available and if we could come together I think Saint Lucia would be definitely a model country in the region that persons would follow. Definitely, the other thing to another advantage of coming together is the question of programming. I don't know where you get your stuff from and I mean is it challenging for you? Sometime it is, I guess once example sugar shortage I think might not be the only person that is a challenge for but I believe we have a strong farming community and the farmers have demonstrated the willingness to supply especially with raw materials and then the abundance of some raw materials, some of us might say oh everybody is saying there is so much mangoes, this year was a bumper mango season and we say what can we do with mango, what have we been doing with mango and that is the problem we have mentioned years after years after years but we need to ask yourself have we created the right environment for value added products to derive from mango the answer is no because when you look at mango you need to have storage facility, you need to have other systems in place so that you are able to store and process the mango so if the enable environment was created I could say that we are not doing enough in the industry but it's not been done which means and do so much with the abundance of mangoes that we have in Saint Lucia I personally have a problem because you probably go to some of our supermarket, some of the major supermarket chain I want you to ask yourself why must I buy dice mangoes that is probably imported from another island or another country when we have so much abundance of mango because there is not a facility that anybody has thought about to process mango to store it and so the industry is virgin and it is calling upon any innovator or any some person if a creative idea to make something special out of mango so there is no need for us to be even importing dry mango you probably go to some of our gourmet store and you would see dry mangoes so we need now to change, we need now to adapt and we need now to come up with solutions and I believe in this current generation especially if the government does invest in our in the youth economy that some of those problems will be addressed going back a bit, I don't know if maybe before your time maybe you were told about it the mango industry is bringing a lot of money in this country I remember in the 50s we used to ship mangoes to Barbados in Crete and it used to go by boat by the vessels and one such vessel I can recall is one called Lady Joy, I can never get that and the exporters they used to take their vans and go around the island they would go to a farmers holding and they would buy a mango tree that is loaded with mangoes hey how much you sell in that mango tree for? they will pay you 200 dollars, 200 dollars and they will pick the mangoes and they will harvest it and export it to Barbados that was a good trade that was in excess for a long long long time what killed it? somebody went and opened a mango seal and they watched the mango weevil in it not realising again that's what Barbados is waiting for too because the mango weevil was not affecting the mango itself the mango flesh was okay and there was no poison things coming from the weevil to affect the mango but in fact they saw it in it they banned our importations of mango so that was a market that was close to us we were shipping to England the same way and that was close to us the mango weevil people don't understand it's a life cycle of the weevil it stays in the seed it will eat on the cotyledons and then when you throw the mango away it comes out and it tries away and goes back again the cycle continues so it really does not interfere with the quality of the mango at one time I remember the Atkinsons from Bosia they were shipping but it was a particular variety of mango it was a mango long time ago they were cutting it into chunks and they put it in a brine solution in buckets and they were shipping it out to another factory in the states for further added value so that went on for years I don't know what happened I believe that is something that maybe you all can look at again as a grouping to see what can happen so the mango industry is there now without the fresh market out there and maybe again are we doing enough to really educate the people out there that the mango weevil is not affecting mango what are we doing you know what I'm saying so that all the mangoes we have we can actually ship the mangoes back again to England and to Barbados but Barbados have taken that to the next level they have now established their own all charge in Barbados so that's probably they took it at the right time and said no they don't want yours you can blame them but I think we need to do more for our mangoes and to get it out there I don't know what experts in Russia can do maybe when they come tomorrow and they visit what's out there they can probably go around and I think we need to encourage young people and maybe one or two or three or four items there maybe from the recipe book they will be a recipe book choose some items and see what we can do to get our mangoes out there I definitely agree with you yes we used to import the fruit but now in our era we are dealing with value added so instead of we yes we have the challenges with the weevil with the beetle but let's add value to the mango in Saint Lucia so I'm agreeing we should have a probably agro processors could come together we could have a facility where we actually slice mangoes and well package it instead of because I know we actually the off season of mangoes we literally import the mango slices because those mangoes a lot of the restaurants still request them and especially during the off season a lot of cocktails are being made of them so we dealing with the mango syrup the mango pulp so the industry and the value added potential of mango is limitless even if we not exporting the fruit itself but if we can add value to the mango in Saint Lucia and make it export ready definitely we have something that we could talk about let me tell you I don't know if you know we have a real varieties I mean I have in my hand how about 50 varieties it's amazing and I got to know I knew about maybe say by Monday gone I knew about maybe about 20 and to date I have 49 and this morning I was told about a few or three or four more and it's amazing if the names I have and I will not say much about it not because on Friday we going to be quizzing people on the various varieties of mangoes that we have in Saint Lucia and also we at the fair we going to have the propagation station with mango plants so people can buy one or two mangoes for the backyard so it's going to be an exciting day on Friday and that is why we want people to come down honestly to view the exhibition and I'm happy to hear how many said you are adding we are doing seven flavors seven more flavors and I know people coming out of a number of various flavors of other items that they want to produce the cosmetic people are coming on board too you know it's amazing the jewelry people are well whatever it is I mean I hear see earrings I mean it's amazing so I mean there is money to be made and like you said once the government creates the enabling environment I believe but not only created but they need to take the young people and go hand and hold hands and walk with them the people that they can emulate like you you know and I'm sure you will give them some advice I mean what you went through so there's a lot we can do so any final words from me before we end it's always a privilege being on your show I look forward especially this coming Friday to definitely showcase in what fun foods has to offer with mango as a company I know we could do much more and we do have a lot of new products in our portfolio but I am making a special plea to the government agro processing is a virgin industry in St. Lucia and a lot more attention should be given to it especially where agro processors struggle which is access to financing but as I said we will be there so I was only going to finance but thank you for being here I know there's a lot that you want to see but Friday will be it be there on Friday people you'll see a lot and of course I want to thank all my sponsors for assisting in that regard thank you for the Taiwanese technical mission for assisting and funding that activity and of course the minister of agriculture for coordinating it bye