 Hello again, St. Lucia and welcome to the program, Agriculture on the Move. My name is Philip Sidney, your host. Today, we have a very interesting topic, which is the continuation of the topic for the past few programs, and that is CMOS production. And with me today is Ms. Crystal Valsen, who is a Fisheries Assistant in the Department of Fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture. Welcome to the program, ma'am. Hi. Good afternoon. Thank you for having me. So happy to have you today. We have a different face, a young face. Yes. Definitely. So, Crystal, we're talking CMOS production. Yes. And that will take us into what we call our CMOS Fiesta, which we will speak of in a little while. But let's go back a bit into the CMOS production in St. Lucia as far as the Department of Fisheries. Give us a little overview of CMOS production in that department. Right. So CMOS is under the purview of the Department of Fisheries, as you rightly said. And it is a form of marine culture, which is farming that is done with marine plants, and CMOS being a marine plant. At this time, that is part of the work program of the aquaculture unit within the Department of Fisheries. So yes, we have major stake in the CMOS industry. Great. I know that that began some years ago. Yes, over 30 years ago. So the Government of St. Lucia implemented a research program in 1981. And through that, I think it started out with a small group of farmers in the southeast coast. And from that, you know, that is how our industry has blossomed and grown into what it is now. And in fact, the technologies and the knowledge that was learned then was actually transferred to other islands. That's how superior, I don't know if I could use that word. But that's how good our farmers were, that's how good our industry was. And of course, the Department of Fisheries is interested in continuing this and making sure that the initial CMOS remains at the top. In fact, I can, if I go back a bit, I remember Praline was one of the base for a number of farmers in that area growing CMOS. And so much so, I think it went as far as a processing plant was established in Praline. So Praline is one of the major groups with lots of CMOS farming and processing dinden as well as opicor and we have moshi as well as well as labri. Yes. So there are small pockets who have decided to go into. And I know over the years, you know, it started small and it has grown. And what I have seen, especially for the past two years during the COVID, you know, I call it the gold rush. Nothing to do, nowhere to go. So people figure that I interviewed a lady here some time ago and she said she's from moshi. And she said, you know, she was just at home not doing anything. They said, let's go and work on the beach. And then that's how they decided to go into CMOS. In fact, there are over 400 persons who are registered with the Department of Fisheries as CMOS farmers. And we see, as you rightly said, that the interest is growing. And so we can anticipate that more persons will register as CMOS farmers with us. Definitely. In fact, that gold rush had issues in that people were looking for space, you know, because it caused a little problem. Whereby sea beavers, you know, could not get a spot to bathe, especially in Paralyah and Savansbee. And also you find the fishers now had an issue. You know, so much so there have been a number of meetings in the past minister of agriculture and also the present minister of agriculture, you know, where concerns were raised by, especially the CMOS farmers in Paralyah and Savansbee, you know, looking because people came there to do it as a gold rush. Right. You know, one morning people just got up and they just saw, you know, also the stuff just hanging out, ropes tied, you know, in the sea and nowhere to go nowhere to bathe. So people saw the rush and the cost, you know, the sale was high, the demand was high. Right. And I think that's where we had exports in Russia got involved and they were able to work with some of the farmers and they exported a number of, you know, I think there's a few varieties that they exported. Yeah. And then that, you know, over $6 million as far as I was told, you know, sometime last year, you know, and it's growing. It is departments of fisheries because we are also, we have interest in the fishing industry as well, obviously. And so it is important to us to make sure that all the persons who use marine spaces, the beach and the sea and so on, are comfortable. And so those are conversations that we will, we have had and we will continue to have because it's a shared space and we want everybody to be comfortable in using these marine resources. Yeah, but one of the things I think that is coming to the fore now is the quality of sea water that is being exported. I don't know. I'm sure you have heard that, you know, our sea water is premium. Yes. You know, in the world. Yes. But then because of that too, you find some of the, some of the countries are trying their best now to come on board and to suppress our sale. Right. You have some marketing concerns. You heard about that, right? I have heard about that. I can't speak to that too much. But what I will say is that, you know, other departments of fisheries, we are committed to ensuring that the sea water that is being produced in St. Lucia remains top quality. And I can't speak to competition because, you know, there will be competition. But we just want to make sure that our farmers get the better part of the bargain, basically. Basically, yes. How, okay, in terms of the agronomic practices, you know, of CMOS, what is your department doing? Working. What is it? What are they bringing to the farmers? Yes. So we have had many training sessions, workshops and consultations and those are continuing. In fact, we are currently implementing a project and that project is geared towards having those workshops with the CMOS farmers to improve their farming techniques. Yeah. So how, it started already? Yes. So this is basically part of, part and parcel of what the CMOS Expo would be. Maybe a bit about. Great, great, great. You mentioned about 400 farmers that you have had or processors. Registered farmers. Registered farmers. Okay, but do you know how many processors you have? That's far? At this time, no. Okay. But we are working towards getting that information and phase two of this project would give us a more clear idea of how many put into our processors, how many put into our farmers as well as processors and so on. How have you all thought of bringing in young people into the fold of going into CMOS production? Yes. In some of those communities that I mentioned, CMOS is a family affair and so you have mothers and children participating and assisting. At this time, we don't engage younger persons, I mean 18 and older. But to be registered as a farmer, as a CMOS farmer, you have to be above 18 years. But have you seen people gravitating to that, young people gravitating to be farmers? As far as I have seen, no. Okay. Young persons no. But I am sure that they are there. It's just that we have not captured those persons in our environment. I know there are families involved. I know, for example, there's a lady who's called Vigamos. She used to be from Prague and now she operates in Dennery. But I think when she was involved, she got all her kids involved. And right now they're grown and they have gone separate ways. And they are entrepreneurs. Yes, well, the thing of CMOS is that it can really be regarded as a family activity. And part of the interest is the socioeconomic benefits that it brings. And so, you know, it can be used as bonding. And also, not just for the family, but for the community as well. You have the associations that come up as a result of this. And those associations have the separate communal activities that they carry out. Yes. CMOS is really about, you know, bringing everybody together for economic benefits, of course. But also, you know, persons used to bond. Yeah, because one of the things that I've said on this program on many, many occasions is that government cannot employ everybody. Unfortunately. Yeah, unfortunately. So what they can do is to create the environment. The avenues. Yeah, so that they can do certain things to empower themselves. And so that in the communities, they can actually do the processing, sale in the community. Also, they can employ people in the processing, you know. So the money, you know, at least it stays in the community, you know, that kind of thing. And I think that's the way to go. Because it will never be able to employ everybody. It is definitely impossible. Yeah, and as we have seen with everything that's been going on, there is much employment to be gained in the CMOS industry. So I would encourage persons to get into CMOS farming. Do you have, okay, out in the field, you have officers, exceptional officers who work directly with the farmers? We have officers who work with the farmers, yes. And they provide technical expertise and so on. Yes. At present, we have an aquaculturist, Vonserier, who is, and he is the head of the aquaculture unit. So he is very hands-on in that regard. The aquaculture unit, though, is divided between CMOS, so that mariculture aspect. And also aquaculture as in aquaponics and that kind of thing. So, you know, we are kind of stretched thin, but we have extension officers who are knowledgeable in CMOS and they can also provide that guidance. Okay. So they are out there on a regular basis advising the farmers when the farmers need to get information, they go directly to them, right? They go directly to them. In fact, those persons will be at the CMOS X1. No, I'm jumping ahead. No problem. Those persons will be at the CMOS X1, so persons can come to get information on how to cultivate, how to grow the CMOS, give you guidance in that regard. And you can also indicate your interest to the departments of fisheries and those persons will contact you. Is there a tech pack that, you know, where that can be given to the farmer as far as getting information, reading about it, knowing exactly how to start, what to do and that kind of thing? Yes, there is literature available in that which would speak to those things and those would be available at the CMOS X4. Great, great, great. In terms of training overseas, I don't know, the ministry or the department of fisheries have engaged in taking farmers to be trained overseas to meet their counterparts in St. Vincent and to share knowledge, you know? Yes, they have. I think there was an expedition a few years ago to Malaysia, I think it was, where some of the extension officers as well as some farmers went to Malaysia and they were able to see firsthand and report on how they engaged, how they did the CMOS. In fact, they said that they did the CMOS wrong, which is strange considering the fact that we know we do so much process into our CMOS. So yes, there are those connections and linkages being made across the Caribbean and internationally where we have our officers and the farmers learning more about CMOS and again improving the technique in order to make our industry better. Yes, I had a gentleman here some years ago I interviewed and he brought in a new variety of CMOS and that's to my mind what made our CMOS premium with that particular variety and I think that is why today our CMOS is looked at as one of the best CMOS in the world. Yes, so in the beginning I think there are over seven variants of CMOS and in Indonesia there were three that were being used at the time so in the 1980s, there were three that were being used but because the other two were relatively slow to grow they decided to weed them out and so Yukima Kotanai is the premier variant that is being cultivated in Indonesia. So that's what you're pushing now? That's what we are, yes, that's what we're pushing. Okay, but I noticed they have they talk about the DAX CMOS and you know anything about that? No, I can't speak to that. Right, I think it's a question of the way it's dried. The way it's dried and all those things. Yes, but for some reason, up to this point we are top in the production of CMOS which is very very good and you mentioned about eating it and making us a lot out of it when we get to the actual culinary aspect of it we will speak about that but we do for our break. You're watching Agriculture in the Move, stay tuned. We'll be back soon, don't worry. The Ministry of Agriculture and FAO presents World Food Day 2022 CMOS Fiesta Sunday, October 60th for Door Park and Dennery. This is a food and nutrition strategy. CMOS Fiesta features lots of CMOS products, delicious healthy meals, snacks, nutritious beverages, beauty and healthcare products and an array of CMOS brands. It's a family day with a kids zone and a wide range of fun-filled activities for the entire family. Lots of entertainment, cultural performances, the legendary jazz icons Ronald Buhingsen and Jabu Placy, the big bad DYP band, T-Blacks, Umpa and lots more. Your security is our pledge. Eat to live, not live to eat. Food is health, health is wealth. Food is essential for living as air is for breathing. Food security for surety. The Ministry of Agriculture has done it again. World Food Day 2022 CMOS Fiesta Sunday, October 16th for Door Park and Dennery. See you there. Welcome back to the program, Agriculture on the Move. Of course, with me is lovely Crystal Valsier. She's all in Smivers. And of course we're talking about the CMOS Fiesta coming on. A while ago it's more about CMOS production. And of course from the production now, we need to tell people and show people the derivatives of CMOS. What can be done with CMOS? And trust me, a lot can be done with CMOS. And we are going into what we call our CMOS Fiesta, which is going to be held on October 16th. And that is World Food Day. And what is World Food Day? Of course, it's the day that we commemorate because of the elevation of hunger. The United Nations pledged that to ensure that food is available to every human being in this world. The problem we have is the access to food. But I have always maintained there is enough food for everybody to consume. And in St. Lucia, what we have done every World Food Day is to identify an activity and to promote a commodity on World Food Day. On the heels of our Balana Festival and the Mango Festival, here we are with CMOS Fiesta. And so Crystal, she is part and parcel of the events committee and she knows everything about what we have planned for October 16th. And by the way, it's going to be held at Fodor Park in Dennery. It starts at 10 o'clock and is going to end at 6 o'clock. So Crystal, tell us a little, how did we get to that CMOS Fiesta? Okay, so I alluded to the fact that there are projects going on. There is an ongoing project, a CMOS project. And that project is titled Enhancing the Employment Potential for St. Lucia's CMOS Industry. And basically what that does is that we provide processors with the avenue to showcase their CMOS products, as is what people do for World Food Day. And we would also identify some of the gaps and the loopholes and address those to ensure that our industry thrives. Okay, so at that festival, based on the project, I also was told that you will be carrying out a survey or something of that in that regard. Yes, so the survey would be get towards the processors, basically just to find out how much CMOS they use per unit. And the cost of that, because we do have a cost analysis will be done in the second phase of that project. So it's basically the information that we will be receiving would just assist with product development and enhancing processing of the CMOS. Okay. And from there, what's the next step? Your thing will happen as far as the processors, after they have gained the experience and they have showcased what we're going to be talking about in a bit. What's the next step? I think the next step for the department of issues would be consultations with them. So after this has been done, consultations to ensure that, you know, all the conclusions that we arrived at are implemented and that, you know, the CMOS industry has a stronger foundation upon which to go forth. Okay. Based on the discussion we have been having and, of course, the number of participants. And trust me, that is, people have been calling, you know, seeing the ad, you know, I've been calling and wanting to come on board, but we cannot take... Yeah. I mean, thus far we have, I have about, what, 20? 20. 20, but 23 and 23. Including the schools. Right. And we'll talk about the schools in a while. But let us look at those persons who are involved as processors. What has been derived? Tell us some of the products that we're hoping to see, you know, on... So we're hoping to see a wider range of products. So everything from gels, capsules, supplements. We'll have a powder. We'll have persons also selling raw CMOS. We'll have the beverages, of course. And then the foods, gummies, and so on. I think there are soaps too, right? And soaps, yes. So we will have body care, skin care, yes. And people are calling all the time. And the thing about it, if you notice, you would go anywhere, any of the restaurants, even in the supermarket shelves, you'll see something CMOS, right? Yes, yes, yes. So that tells you, you know... And the thing with CMOS is that it's so versatile. It is. You know, you can do so many things with CMOS. And you don't even need much. And I actually learned this in this process. That you don't need much to, you know, come out with a large batch of particular items. In fact, there is... In Uppiko, or Savons Bay, remember we had a small CMOS festival some years ago. I don't think you were around then. And then... I mean, that's what opened my eyes. Oh, the CMOS expo in 2016? Yes. And then what I saw, for example, coming from Savons Bay, they did a powder, it's like a pellet powder kind of thing. But it's all mixed with all its nutrients, all the spices and everything. And all you have to do is just put it in your teacup and you pour hot water or cold water in it. And then... So it was well packaged. Right. And I remember telling a friend of mine in Martinique, a businessman, and he came down with another gentleman here and he wanted to continue every fortnight, which of course was impossible, you know. But the demand is there, you know. And that tells you the versatility of CMOS, the number of derivatives from CMOS that can be done. And we need... And Sunday is going to be great, you know. And that is one of the things that we will definitely see, you know, coming from the 20 odd, you know, processors that are going to be, you know. I'm sure. Are you excited about it? I am excited. And I am excited to see what the students will showcase for sure. Because, you know, we've had two other expos, the mango and the banana. And the students came out and they were just wonderful. And they were just very creative with what they came up with. And so I'm very excited to see what the students from the schools will be doing in relation to CMOS. I'm ready to eat, that's for sure. Are you still like eating already? I'm ready to eat. Yeah, because what I really want to sample is the CMOS ice cream. Yeah, because there is a lady in the Saint Lucia Network of World Women. Okay. It is the Miku cluster. I know there's a lady and she's working towards that. So definitely she'll be there with CMOS ice cream, you know. And there's so many things. And let's go back a bit to using the fresh CMOS as salads. You can actually, okay, it is ship-dried. And what they do when it gets over there, it's putting water to rehydrate. And then it is chopped into small bits. Yeah. And it is added to... You know, add the salt and stuff. Yeah, yeah, two salads. Yeah. You know, and it's part of the culinary. Yeah. And it's part of the culture too. Now, I can't imagine doing that. It's your taste buds. Yes, yes. But apparently it's something that they do all the time. All the time, yes. Yes, it's a demand. And then I think I remember one of the... One of the... Someone from the CMOS saying, they could not understand how and why we made CMOS as a beverage because they were so accustomed to eating it raw. Right, right. So, you know, it really will be an opening... I open an experience to come out to see what persons will be doing and making with the CMOS. Definitely. Really, really, really, so much. And that is why we want people to come because it's going to be an exhibition, yes. But you have the opportunity to buy stuff. Right. Because it's a market. Yes. It's an exhibition slash market. Right? So, all the CMOS processors will be able to sell their stuff and to market themselves on that day, you know, because they are going to be showcased. They will be interviewed, you know, on air. So, people will know who they are, you know, coming to business cards, you know, discussion, you know, for market possibilities and stuff like this. Right. And part of the project does entail providing assistance with marketing opportunities. Right, right. And so, the CMOS... The CMOS Expo would be a good way for processors to market themselves and to show CMOSia and the rest of the world, quite frankly, what they have. Exactly. And again, to make sure that CMOS remains on top. Definitely. And so, that is why we have collaborators that we have, for example, SLDB is going to be there. Again, they're the ones that will be saying, hello, we can give you X to assist you. We can do that. Okay? We have experts in Lucia there who will be... You can go to them and they will tell you exactly how you can assist you in marketing of your produce. And one of the things I... One of the guys was saying at the meeting we had with the minister. The minister is well wrapped up in this because I will... Let me... Before I end, I want to listen to say, this is another food and nutrition security strategy. Security, yeah. That is key. We need to eat what we produce, eat fresh, Saint Lucia's best. Let us get Saint Lucia's to consume more of what is produced locally, okay? And with export, Saint Lucia on board, you know, it's an opportunity to market our processed stuff. Instead of selling, exporting the dried CMOS, all right? Why not export the gel? Right. I mean, there are so many things that have to be made out of CMOS. So Saint Lucia, if you have a container of dried CMOS, as opposed to have a container loaded with gel, there's more money in there than the dried CMOS. So I just want to say on Sunday, it will be a family day, as you know. And people have to come out there because the kids are going to be well-entited. There will be a kids' zone. So there will be bonks and castles, face painting, you know, all your gummy bears and everything. You know, you can get that there. For the grown-ups, the bars will be loaded. Big mama will be there, right? If a bar. So, and there's lots of foods there. Seafood is the whole world. So we are asking people to come there. And to keep you there will be the entertainment. We are in Creole month, and of course you will have the Aval service, you know, the taboomili, the secret ban, the East Coast ban, and the list goes on. There will be a jazz segment Fondo is known for jazz, right? I've been there, you know, so during lunchtime going on to talk lock, Bo Hingson and his team is going to definitely blow your mind away. And of course if Jabdu plays it, you know, and then it comes to the hype now, where we will bring in the mama tang tang, right? You know, and of course the big dyp, Ompah, and Sabah, and you know, and you know, the list goes on. The radio will be there. The tea blast will be there. Tea blast will be there. Tea blast will be there. It's as well with the mama tang tang, you know. So it's going to be, I mean, I'm looking forward, all I want God give us good weather. I know. The rain, the rain has been causing a challenge. Yes, yes, so we asked them, people have come in large numbers, you know, the place, Fondo looks real nice. I honestly want to thank the bodily inmates who came and did a fantastic job. So I'm really looking forward for you to be there on that day. Thank you again for being here, Ms. Varsia. You know, we have come to the end of the program, and I'm sure you and myself are looking forward. And the committee members are lovely, holy Sunday at Fondo. Thank you for being here. Thank you. You've been watching Our Reculture on the Move. Thank you for being in the program. And remember, Our Reculture is our business. Eat fresh. St. Lucia's Best. I'm Philip Sidney together with Ms. Varsia saying goodbye and see you again. Our Reculture on the Move. Our Reculture on the Move. Our Reculture on the Move. Our Reculture on the Move. 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