 Good viewers, and welcome to the program, Agriculture on the Move. I am Philip Sidney, your host. Today with me is a very special guest, a good friend of mine. His name is Mr. Vincent LaCobbinier, who is the general manager of the St. Lucia Marketing Ball. Welcome to the program. Don't give me the Sidney for any further invitation. Yeah, well, I know you're very busy, especially these things happening at Marketing Ball. I know you'll spend some time to have a little chat with me about Marketing Ball. But Marketing Ball, of course, tells us about the objectives of Marketing Ball. I know it has gone through its trials and tribulations. But tell us about the objectives and where we are now. Well, naturally, Marketing Ball was established to facilitate production, marketing, all farmers produce. That's what it was. And it has been there for 55 years. And in that quest to mobilize farmers, to mobilize farmers to get a produce to their consumers, to organize the farmers into some kind of production production system, to export, to import certain stuff, to produce that not be available institution upon a consistent basis. That's really in the nature of what Marketing Ball really did all over the years. But right now, after all the trials and tribulations in Marketing Ball in terms of funds and in terms of the competitors, well, the market forces have changed. That's the fundamental thing. You have more competitors. You have more persons requesting or requiring a more greater level of variety of produce. And then the Marketing Ball in the past have not responded to some of those market changes. Market forces have changed. So now what we're trying to do now is to remodel the Marketing Ball. You know, have a new business model. Have a new concept for the Marketing Ball. So yes, so right now, we have just opened a new stock at the Empanier Street, the opposite day, the Cass Street Craft Market. And we're looking to not just sell fresh produce. We have added a new component where we're looking at the agro processors because we want to kind of link tourism of agriculture. A lot of the agro processors products would come from jams and jellies. We have the Moby Wine, for example. We have a lot of plantain banana chips. We have a bit of craft products. So that's not to really give a larger variety. Diversify the product offerings of the Marketing Ball. Well, but most importantly, I think that with this new process, that we're not just focused solely on the Marketing Ball. I think we are getting more full security in the country. And we're looking at being able to serve the farmer better. A bigger store, you can purchase more. And of course, you know that if you're going to purchase more, it means that the farmers will produce more. You're going to have more and more money flowing in the farming community. Because as you know, with the crunch right now economically, the high cost of inputs, the cost of labor, labor is not even easily available and not going to be. So the farmer wants an outlet where he can probably sell more. And if I must tell you, they want to sell more. You know, it was really a production, this approach we had before. We all, I mean, you and I were in agriculture. We are always able to produce our best carrot. The best carrot is the biggest carrot. But in terms of being able to market it, being able to get our consumers satisfied with it, being able to get our consumers to be loyal to it. And that has not been done as effectively as we were able to do the productionist method. So to add a story, as I said, we extended the product line and the product range, of course. We also will focus very heavily on promotion, sales promotion. We intend to have a lot of programs where the consumers will be recognized. For example, every month, for example, we want to have something where the consumer can win a package, a prize, a football, a full basket. That kind of thing we want to. So to really pick up, as you see, our consumers, because some of the consumers we have here, they have really been loyal. There are people that have put this for the market, but that's all they've been putting for years. I think we need to recognize those people. And to me, the greatest form of recognition would be where we give them a prize. We will focus very heavily on deliveries, for example. We want to engage a young local company who does deliveries for people. Or we can probably bring in somebody young man on the block with a little scooter to deliver the same way maybe like Kentucky is doing. That kind of thing we want to do. So we will focus very heavily on sales promotion. We also want to participate together of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture. Every international event, we want to participate in. We want to probably have something at the store to commemorate that day. You know, to do that. We want to probably, for example, if there is mango season, we want to have a lot of programs on mangoes. We want to do a lot of promotional program on mangoes. We want to probably put promotional material on mangoes, information parts on mangoes. Because I mean, our people, while they know the produce, but they don't know how to consume the produce. They don't know how to work the produce. So these are the things we want to bring up at the store. I know from a farmer's standpoint, marketing board has been a bitter pill to swallow over the years. I'm hearing you saying, focusing on the consumer. But where is that farmer's confidence when he sells to you and is there a timely payment to him to forget he has to pay his workers and to ensure that he can continue the production line for you? You want him to produce a good quality product for you. So how can you bring back that farmer's confidence of a marketing board standpoint? OK. OK, what we're looking at is about different levels of relationship. For example, we want to deliberately go out to the farmer in the field. Have what I call production planning the farmer. Great. So to say, well, OK, the marketing board normally purchases a ton of lettuce. But how would you get a ton of lettuce? So we will deliberately go out to the farmer's field and prepare a production planning for him. So that is one. We're also trying to establish a small input shop in the marketing board. And then we are working very closely with Taiwan's mission to add a parkhouse in Odessa to bring out the whole essence of quality, to bring quality for testing of the products. So you have a greater level of consumer confidence in the product. Now, if consumers are more confident because now everybody's on health, the health market is really increasing. So it means that people will respond much, much better to the producer, the farmer. Now, if marketing board capacity to sell more than farmers produce, it means that more money will be coming in the farmer. It means that our capacity to pay the farmer on time will be greatly enhanced. So we have to depend on the sales. And so having said so, I will appeal to consumers to really come to the marketing board and purchase regularly. Because every dollar that we spend on the marketing board is a dollar that will go back to the family. It will go back to feeding the farmer. It will go back to helping the farmer to produce more inputs. It will go back to the farmer being able to employ more persons in the community. So I mean, so I really urge our consumers to continue to patronize the stock in a more meaningful way. Because you're going to have information. You're going to have a chance of winning maybe once a month. You're going to have the opportunity to support our people. So these are some of the things that the pharmacy is all that. The farmer to me is loyalty. To me is confidence will come back in the marketing board. It will greatly reduce on us in having money for the farmers like a month, two months, and that kind of thing. And the other thing too is, I don't know maybe if there will be a training component as far as farmers are concerned in terms of the selection of the produce for the market. Because one of the things I believe that you would like to happen is at least 95% or 98% of quality coming to the market and less spoilage, you understand? So, I mean, yes, they are loyal. Yes, they may want to sell the high-end crops to another entity and come and dump the rest on you. How are you going to get over that? Well, the way you're going to get over it, well, it's a Taiwanese mission, right? We have a good training program. And also, the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, officers, we are having a good training program in terms of selection, in terms of grading. But most importantly though, we're looking at, as they said, the effects or the impact of the pack house. That is where the critical, well, let's say rubbish came in, rubbish, rubbish gone. But we ensure that it produce other farmer. I mean, the farmer gets training in the field. The farmer delivers to us, I mean, in the pack house. A more vigorous selection process will have to be put in place. Now, I mean, you know, before, the marketing board was looked at as a market of last resort. That's it by Govedma. Someone that has a large ebony baguette. I mean, that is no longer going to happen in the marketing. As long as I remain there, no financial, I mean, not to admit farmers to think that they can just dump anything in the marketing board and we can sell it. Because the competition out there is not easy, it's very tough. So that's when we saw a heavy focus on training and a heavy focus on selection. That is how we're going to solve it. Great. I'm sure I've heard about you signing contracts with farmers. How does that work? Are you stipulating a price for a commodity that whether there is scarcity, the price remains constant? And if there is a demand, you will give a higher price. How does that work? Yeah. For example, the farmers who are on the school feeding program, these are farmers that will be contracted because we do not want that at any time for the school feeding program to ever not have the supplies. So these farmers will be contracted. You are contracted and, as I said, you have a production plan included in that when you sign a contract, you are given a price range. That means no matter what the price will pay, you will never go lower than that price. Because from our marketing studies, we know we have an idea of the average price of a product. It will never go lower than that. So if there are changes in the price upwards, we will pay you the upward price. So we never tell a farmer, we'll give you an extra month by giving them a price range. The lowest price to the highest price. That's good. That's very good. I know one of the things that people were saying to really get the marketing board in a very active position was to give them more latitude with some of the other commodities, like the flour and the rice and stuff like that. Give them some mobility because agriculture is a business. And marketing is a business. So how do you see that? What does it mean? That it is a serious policy decision. Yes. And you want me to discuss policy on your program? Well, I think we're talking with discussion. On the marketing board, the act does give marketing board sole importer status. For example, for ginger and also for eggs. Now, you know eggs is more less jammed during Christmas. But we do have the sole importer status as far as ginger. So we will have to, I mean, we have a government now which is more in tune to work in the marketing board. They have a young minister who came from the bosom of our culture as Minister Prospect. You know, he's much better prepared to listen. So it is something that we need to advocate for more strongly in terms of our, you know, at the cabinet level, you do things like like sending the flu. Because actually, that is one of the reasons why you finish a program like the school screening program and you give them to the marketing board. Because, I mean, they let all the produce, go through the marketing board and we supply the schools. Now, that is a very interesting policy decision. And I must tell the cabinet ministers how grateful we are for them to have actually approved. Because I mean, just think of it, every child in St. Lucia eating our local food. It is not just for today, but it's for the future. Because food is really, really have to take a pallet. If your pallet gets acquainted to it and like, the food will continue. I mean, we know that when pasta is a big thing, everybody now is macaroni and cheese and pasta and that kind of thing. So if you can prepare our young persons to eat more local food, that is a plus for us. And we're talking about, so the policy decision, we have to continue to lobby the government. And we want our minister to support us as far as not just ginger, but you have peanuts. Balanced peanuts are a big thing at the time. So if you can get ginger and peanuts, and maybe onions, we're all right. The marketing board will be all right. We'll be right financially. And you'll be able to serve the farmer even much better. You can probably go on different line of products. Biological products, for example, which are consumers actually wanting less chemical in the food. So we really want to urge the cabinet and the ministers to really support that aspect of it, like that you mentioned. Great, we'll do for our break. You're watching agriculture in the move. Don't go away, we'll be right back. Chemical use, additives, and genetically modified foods are harmful to health and the environment. Join the Good Food Revolution. Grow, buy, and consume organic. A message from Rye St. Lucia and the Ministry of Sustainable Development with funding from the GEF Small Grants Program, UNDP. The Good Food Revolution. Welcome back to the program. Agriculture on the move, of course, with me is Mr. Vincent Locopenier, who is the general manager of the St. Lucia Marketing Board. And you've heard us speaking about the way forward with the marketing board. Barring all these negatives in the past and all constraints, I think there's a window of opportunity to move forward and to have a different marketing board. For me, I believe this should change the name. First I'm concerned, but that's what I'm trying to show. Vincent, let's look at the hotels and the hospitals where you have farmers are going directly and sell. Now, for me personally, I'm thinking here that marketing board should be the sole purchaser and the sole distributor in this country. How do you feel about this? Because again, it encourages marketing board getting second hand and third hand products because they will sell high-end to the hotels and stuff like that. How did you see this happening? Well, my association with what you said there came from SLRAP, Central Rolling the Rice Project, where we caused the farmers to operate within a group setting. Correct. So you had the Buns Farmers Group, you had the Belves, you had the Black Bees and that kind of thing. That is the one, because to me that is the kind of strategy we need to put in place to get all the farmers coming together under the marketing board umbrella. And of course, I personally believe that it is time for the farmers to invest in themselves. Invest in themselves and the perspective of a business. I would have deal with the farmers in the marketing board because what you do is that you remove the middleman, rolling the market and what is playing now. So the farmers will be selling to themselves, right? And the government can say, okay, I will have maybe 40% or 50% and the farmers on the rest. And then the farmers can actually plow money into that investment. In that way, the farmers have no need now to go to the hotel, to be hustled by the market, to be hustled by the whole side. The farmer will see that I'm selling my product to myself. To me that is a direction that the marketing board will take, means to take. And maybe that's when, as you said, the name change will come in. Correct, yes, yes. But seriously, I mean, when you look at them, I mean, however, I've been 14 years old to visit Taiwan about three or four times. That is the kind of strategy that they have. Every single farmer sells through a produce organization. Right, right. You see? So in that way, the farmers will be doing what he or she can do best, your farmer you produce, let them market, let them market, you know, the market people, they're not marketing for you. That means that, because that is what, and we need to develop like on a system. Look at that, if we can just put that with bananas. The bananas had an input system. They had the banks, they had the extension. They had every single thing to do, to get the product. All factors of production, they had it. To the market. That is one of the things we need to model, you know? And I think that is probably how their marketing, how their marketing board will come of age. I think so, but I don't know if you, of course, remember the St. Lucia Agricultural Association. You see how they operated, and I mean, they were very successful, you know? Sadly, they're no more. But I can see a marketing board picking up from there. Especially, you mentioned earlier about input supplies to the farmer. Why not a one-stop shop? You know, to get your inputs, your fertilizers, your chemicals, you know, all the factors you need for production, you can get it right there. You know? And the other thing too, I'm thinking, is you have the retail section, yes. But I'm sure you have what they call a bulk purchase that people can come in, the hotels can come in, and buy bulk at another venue, right? Yeah, well, that's the wholesale function. The wholesale function, yes. Yeah, we do that. I mean, the hotels buy from us quite, quite well. Right. Of course, we want it to increase. Right. We also would want, for example, the hospitals. Yes. We'd also want the prisons, and even some other senior homes, and we're like, for example, the kind of structural programs that the government has to give the senior citizens some food and nothing. So, I mean, just imagine it. If all this could be channeled for the marketing board, we would be a very powerful organization, and the farmers themselves would realize the benefit. Right. We would not have to probably go to foreign countries to go and work under, well, in agriculture, you know? And so, to me, that's what the marketing board should be taking. I know at one time, the marketing board used to export stuff to, you know, to Miami and stuff like this. How do you see that coming back on stream? I'm thinking also, you all should be, you all should work with the municipal agriculture in tandem in terms of the strategy for getting a production scheduling on ground. To know exactly, in fact, sitting here today, what I believe should happen. You should know what's on ground as far as capitalism concern, lettuces concern, and to know when your other crops are coming on stream for purchase. Is that something that you're hoping gradually to take root to ensure that the farmer knows exactly he can take his produce to you and he'll be satisfied that he do have to run to the hotel, run to the soil markets? Well, I mean, I will see you. Our chaplain, he's the CEO of the export solution. So that is, that already is a plus for the marketing board. I mean, quite frequently we get signals for produce on St. Lucia. I mean, we have established ourselves in the number of markets as St. Lucia. When I was in the ministry of agriculture, for example, we established ourselves as one of the best grateful producers. That can come back. There was tremendous opportunity for sourcough. I'm going to be dry or fresh nuts. And even see what, for example, some body have asked, you know, I'm gooseberries, I'm ginnip. So the market is tremendous. And I believe we can make agriculture again, production in green gold again. I don't believe we need to focus on banana-sipping to make us green gold again. We can, I mean, three crops. I mean, people are looking for cocoa pods. I mean, cocoa pods, give them cocoa pods, sourcough, breadfruit and coconut. That's already four, you know. So we can, so as I said, we're working very closely to export St. Lucia. And a plus I think, Sidney, would be the getting our packouts as up to 35. Yes, yes, yes. That is, and we're working on it tirelessly to get this done. We have a training, we are purchasing another set of equipment. Our staff has been trained, and we have a consultant working with to put the system in place. I think that is going to be a big and a huge plus for the marketing board when the packouts become fully set up. Yeah, and of course, don't forget, you'll be working in tandem with the Naraf, you know, they can do all the testing for you, all the two, for traceability. So that's the way to first of all. So the future, the future. It's bright. It's bright, yes. And we just need to work with each other closely. We need a greater level of commitment from our ministry of agriculture. We need to comprehend from the ministry of tourism. Yes. From education, from health. Yes. And if all these various players can come into a mode where we look at issues of production, issues of pre-production, issues of post-production, and decide that, well, this is what we want for agriculture. We have to have a national dialogue. We studied it, for example. Can Helen feed herself? Yes, yes, yes. So this, so you know, we need to always think of food, because food is about food security. Definitely. I mean, COVID and whatever. Teaching us that we need to look at more and more in agriculture. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Final answer, sir? Well, I want to urge our consumers to continue patronizing the market in the world. To every dollar spent will be a dollar that will go back to our famine community and can help with unemployment, can even help with crime. Yes. Because once you're going to get more money in the community, we'll have a left-wing entity to commit crime. Yes. Thank you, sir, for coming. I wish you success. I know the horizon is there, and I know you will succeed. Thank you for being here. Before I end, I just want to remind our people out there, don't forget our food festival on the 22nd of February. That is our Independence Day at the Fisher's Complex. Come and enjoy yourself. Remember, agriculture is our business. Eat fresh. St. Lucia's best. I am Philippe Sidney. Bye-bye. Yes. Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move.