 The Department of Agriculture and Collaboration with the Taiwan Technical Mission, through the Enhancing the Efficiency of the Production Distribution Supply Chain in the Fruit and Vegetable Sector Project, also known as the 7 Crops Project, hosted a training session for a cohort of farmers on the four new varieties of lettuce being introduced to complement the three types already being grown locally. In the training, farmers were also introduced to irrigation techniques, as well as other fertilizers that can be used to increase crop protection. Project Coordinator of the 7 Crops Project, Adeline Nudovik, says the main objectives of the initiative are to help local farmers obtain a larger share of the market and reduce the importation of lettuce. In our different interactions with the importers, the purchasers and the sewer markets realize that we have an issue of lettuce insertion. So under the 7 Crops Project, we are trying to evaluate and also to try out the different varieties that we produce best in our environment and also meet the market requirements. So right now, the concern is that the lettuce, it wills very quickly, it doesn't stay fresh in the sewer market for a long time. So this is our first phase in training. So today we have training for the farmers who are producing lettuce insertion. So these farmers could see the different varieties and you get the pros and cons of each specific variety and from that, the next step is going to different markets to show them what we can do and also how these lettuces could meet the different concerns that they identified. Production specialist of the 7 Crops Project, Eric Shen, explains that new varieties of lettuce used in the trial over the last seven weeks include the green and red rapid lettuce and the green and red rumen lettuce. I've noticed that every time when I go to a farm and visit the farmers, the farmers are always planting the same variety, Eden and Trinity. It's all iceberg variety and farmers didn't even know they are iceberg. So we here trying to introduce more variety, new variety like a rumen and the leafy, the real leafy variety because farmers always think that Eden are leafy variety, which is bad for the farmers and bad for the markets. So now we need the trial to see the varieties chosen here is suitable for St. Lucia. So we could have a multiple choice for the consumer here in the markets and then the farmers can increase their income. Local farmer Zhaim Etienne says the training has been very informative and encourages local farmers to take advantage of the alternative farming methods being highlighted through the 7 Crops Project. It's always good to see that we have options with regards to you know planting and cultivating. As long as we could get the materials and the education behind it, farmers should really go into it and we could make a difference in terms of reducing our import bill because lettuce is one of the things that's highly on our import bill. The next phase of the project will include a post harvest handling workshop as part of an effort to enhance the shelf life of the crops being produced locally. From the communications unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Anicia Antoine reporting.