 Hello everyone and welcome to the program agriculture on the move I am Philip Sydney your host October 16th worldwide is World Food Day and it was born under the UN United Nations and of course the Food and Agriculture Organization FAO and every year in St. Lucia we commemorate World Food Day with some activity. At this juncture in St. Lucia we are looking at our food and nutrition security and that is key at this juncture because of all what's happening like was said sometime last week at another function can Helen feed herself I will say can Helen continue to feed herself on the heels of a banana festival mango festival we now have a seamos guest we need to ensure that assume it fresh and with me ladies who are involved in the seamos allow them to introduce themselves and of course to my idiot right I am Esther Peter the proprietor of Vigamos products of Vigamos products which you can find in dinner hi I'm Keisha Kristoff I'm representing steamer products which is located in corn great okay the ministry of agriculture every World Food Day tags along with the food and agriculture organization FAO and this under the theme and nothing is so appropriate this year because it it enhances our food and nutrition security strategy and the theme is to leave no one behind better production better nutrition a better environment and a better life for all and you can understand where the seamos fits in there quite nicely nutrition and our food security I need to tell me Vigamos how did you get involved with seamos production I got involved with seamos production living my children was very young tried to find something to do with myself and my children that I could be working at the same time and taking care of my children so I went with Leo Francis and Rita Francis one day in seamos and I enjoyed it so much because it was a form of relaxation to me planting the seamos in the sea and I'm able to swim and being in the water I love so it became a form of a relaxation and also a way to take care of my children I saw this picture where I could take it to another level not just going and plan the seamos but also manufacturing the seamos I was with the seamos farmers association but then to me I wasn't seeing the money coming in so I branched out and I went to Trinidad where I went to do the science and food preservations with curing and I said okay I have enough information where I can move out and do what I really wanted to do then I started ordering bottles to make the milk base seamos with them there was this place in few four that used to sell the seamos bottles and breakable bottles glass bottles so I used to sell them only the milk base seamos at the time and it was doing quite well but after doing the course I started doing everything with seamos since I got to know that seamos is a base and that it is something that we should use as a daily intake sent Luciam saying daily intake we must take a lot of it every day because we need it inside and I started doing it putting seamos in everything that I do since seamos is a base I do drinks I do the butter I do the deep sauce the seasoning sauce the powdered seasoning so base popsicles you name seamos and Esther do it okay so let me hear the history of you know steamer products yes okay steamer products has been in operation over 20 years it's known and owned by my mom which is Mary Kristof she's not here with us today so I'm representing as I tell everybody I learned from the best you call in nothing without your mom you can do nothing but without your mother well she started doing seamos two flavors the original and the plain and then after a good bit of years we went on a course with the Ministry of Agriculture and then we learned a lot and then she started to do this seamos we have six different flavors right now and we explore the seamos with the fruits which was really good and the people receive it very well also we also went into seamos ice lollies where we have different exotic fruits and different flavors which is really nice and the children love it yes I must say seamos is one of the best and healthy products we have in St. Lucia and it's right there from the sea after all we are from the island and if we have the support of the government and the different institutions I think seamos could reach very everywhere and the support through with everyone okay but going back a bit as to what problems you you encountered in that journey you know we plant seamos with no insurance at all and you know will in the hurricane belt so every time we start off with seamos down the line we have a heavy wind storm or something like that so that would take it away sometimes I have to start from scratch and when I really believe I'm out of it we attended a meeting there sometimes we had another meeting I needed a rethought to do the seamos and we they came in and the the government came in and told me that they're going to get me a rethought and they're going to they came in watching the place where they go to put the rethought make all the researches I was kind of happy that I'm going to get that rethought when it came they gave me a juice dispenser instead of a rethought that made me feel so disappointed during that time I don't tell my clients already the seamos will be able to stay on shelf at the time I did not know how to keep the seamos on shelf without the rethought the rethought was all I studied about so I that put a set back in me because the seamos was not able to stay on shelf a whole someone shelf at the time and then with the hurricanes it would take away all our ropes we would stay a number of years a number of months we do not have products because the seamos we do not have seamos in the sea but this is past that right now I want to have my seamos the nutritional facts this is taking some time as well this is why one this is one of the reasons why I was asking if this place was open so this is taking some time and this is these are one of the hurdles right here with nutritional facts okay to get the nutritional facts on the seamos it was a hurdle also because this is a process where you have we since we don't have the lab here we had to seek Barbados to help us to get that and that was a hustle and of course of course also so these are one of the pills that we have to go through in order for us to get our products on the market and the international markets also yes so that is one also she said about insurance I am not a seamos producer not producer but farmer but I also listen to farmers and they always talk about pretty alasening so that is one of the biggest yeah problem for them when you think your product is there it's gone but what in what way you think moving forward that the the ministry the fisheries department can assist you all to ensure that you know the creating environment that that is you know to give you some steam to to to get your products out there fisheries I believe one they try to make enough publicity but then I feel everybody wants the appraisal with the publicity that they make let us actually put St. Lucia Seamos not just Seamos and this person Seamos and that person Seamos let us promote St. Lucia Seamos so that our Seamos can know there's a place on the market not as Seamos but St. Lucia Seamos and I believe fisheries can do that for us but you have you have exports and export export St. Lucia how do you think they can assist they too can make it known as St. Lucia Seamos because that's why I think they have been marketing the tried Seamos and they have made I mean lots of headway in fact Seamos is known worldwide I mean now and you can see thanks thanks to COVID yes now listen this this this is one of the things our Seamos is known worldwide but our Seamos has also dropped tremendously as well yeah I said so because everybody sells Seamos one way or another but they don't promote St. Lucia Seamos and because of that the money that people used to be making on Seamos you don't get it because they fluctuate the market and everybody has well their own price and this and that and what it you're not expecting St. Lucia Seamos to remain St. Lucia Seamos but do you think it is we have gotten to the point where instead of shipping dry Seamos that we add value and send it out I would rather send out Seamos gel instead of selling you know that's what I'm thinking I would rather us to come together and say well we put it out because St. Lucia has a variety of products that we don't even know made out of Seamos and these are added values I believe history can come in and see the best for the products if all of them and find a way to get it out of St. Lucia I also believe if you see a product that is not doing well you call that person and tell them let us get off the ground help that person to get up the ground with that product because every Seamos product has a value and has a flavor and has I would see nutrients and if that person is doing something it will help St. Lucia help the person and also help the other person receiving it at the end. Do you do any training to any other young people in your community as far as processing Seamos? No not right now but what I can see there's a lot of the ministry has offered a lot of what should I say courses and stuff like that so that we could enhance our business and also for young people and a lot of young people don't take advantage but I think that is something that they should take a look at and maybe promote more because I think the way the information is been what the wizard would I'm looking for executed or go out is via email and stuff but we're not seeing anything on television per se well if it's not for this activity yeah this activity yeah another thing that we should look at she was mentioning about St. Lucia Seamos and that is so important because everybody has Seamos yes but what we should come together and to portray one product and then you know so everybody could benefit from it one product one logo and the main focus should be our country which is in Lucia but how you how you think that can be married I mean what was the mechanism how you think I'm pretty together well we as small business owners also alongside with the help of Ministry of Agriculture yeah so we should have a sit down and at least discuss something and put our minds because I'm sure as entrepreneurs we all have brilliant minds and we could come up with something yeah in terms of marketing I mean I mean how do you market your stuff I mean she has stuff you have and the number I mean I have about like 20 other persons so that's fine I know they are more who are marketing the stuff in St. Lucia do you think I'm you know the market is saturated or what what do you think we should now be able to expand and export well okay I think the market is saturated with Seamos well Seamos that are people just make out of normal at the kitchen and then they just go everywhere and sell the Seamos but for quality Seamos to have a shelf life on the at the supermarket that we are lacking and that why I think we should come together so that we could put together a Seamos to represent our country which is in Lucia what do you think I think so too and I believe if we come together we can bring out products that people will be satisfied yes good standard I think there was a meeting with the minister of seven B producers and one of the things I think they were asking is it a formal association right and bring it bring all Seamos producers and that's an association and you sell to your Seamos to that association and a product is done and then can be exported like on the solution label as it were that thing that is what they were asking for Mr. Sidney there was at one time we were planning on having Seamos on a leash and we were thinking of having ID cards when that pretty last summer started ID cards which we paid for with features I have not seen those ID cards at all yeah okay and I think that is one of the ways that we could that we were supposed to have it on the control because if a farmer wanted to come into Seamos they would have to have an ID card and if somebody come to sell Seamos for you you they had to be showing the ID card and I believe one of these things fish rich like this thing that we they didn't keep up to the task because we paid for those ideas already okay but where are they that came up again and I think that's one of the things that the minister is looking into and that that's on the table as we speak anyway we'll do for our first our break you're watching agriculture in the moon we'll be back soon the Ministry of Agriculture and FAO presents World Food Day 2022 Seamos Fiesta Sunday October 16th four-door Park in Dennery this is a food and nutrition strategy Seamos Fiesta features lots of Seamos products delicious healthy meals snacks nutritious beverages beauty and health care products and an array of Seamos brands it's a family day with a kid's zone and a wide range of fun-filled activities for the entire family loss of entertainment cultural performances the legendary jazz icons Ronald Hinkson and Jabu Placy the big bad BYP band T black uncle and lots more your security is our pledge eat to live not live to eat food is health health is well food is essential for living as air is for breathing food security for sure the Ministry of Agriculture has done it again World Food Day 2022 Seamos Fiesta Sunday October 16th four-door Park Dennery see you there welcome back to the program agriculture on the move and we are talking about Seamos production in St. Lucia and more so with the upcoming Seamos Fiesta to be held on the 16th of October in four-door Park and of course with me two producers of Seamos in St Lucia and we have a we are we are having a very interesting discussion as to the production of Seamos the constraints and then what we require to move forward we are now moving into this in into this Seamos Fiesta we had a Seamos Fiesta some years ago a small one nothing that was not one that was a huge success right now we have more persons involved and I'm hoping this time around I mean we asked people to come down and to see what's happening how are you prepared for this activity on the 16th okay I made my products and I'm also telling people about the activity I made the products and I'm expecting that St Lucia to not be large enough to come and support us I made my deep sauce my butter Seamos butter the vigor delight I made multi-purpose seasoning powdered seasoning with the Seamos I made the fish seasoning I made the chicken seasoning barbecue sauce and so many different products I'm expecting St Lucia to come out come and see what we have come and taste it come and buy from us come and support us that says my word for something that's interesting I'm preparing myself alright so let me hear you what what what have you prepared for us okay well we have a number of drinks as I said and we have desserts which is our Seamos I slowly is we want you to come out St Lucia to support us also we have something special and something new so I'm not going to give it to you all you'll have to be down there to come and see what we have yes yeah in terms of in your manufacturing of your products I mean in terms of getting people to assist your labor do you have your employee anybody oh yes we do employ persons so that we could do our products are you asking the question for to see if they have any vacancies for people right now because of new coming activity no I just figure it we reached the stage like I've always said that the government employ everybody that's scary and cottage industry such as yours can in your community in your little local I can see you know you employ one of two persons you know who are unemployed and they get training at the same time exactly what I'm thinking what I want to do in my community because there's a lot of idle young ladies and young men in my community I want to open a no I won't say it's a school I just want to extend to them that they can I can teach them how to make at least one product okay just one it would be a new product that they alone would be doing yeah that's a good idea that's good that's good but you do you think that they would want to do that because I mean they probably they don't know if I if there is a way out for them to for them to do it and most probably they have not seen a way out for them to get the money to do it but with the help of the government that can give them a goof on me or something so they can do it do you think they would want to do you think that should be ongoing training for young people to get involved one as CMOS farmers and two as process that's exactly what I'm doing okay okay okay it wouldn't be like coming one day and it would be that is it you would it's an ongoing training that you would I would want to extend to my community and making sure that they are employed but one of the problems I was especially probably I mean I'm sure you know the amount of effort I mean I can remember Grita who was a pioneer when it came to CMOS processing in in in probably there is a processing plant in probably yes there is but I have no idea what's going on with it right because to me that's dominant huh yes it is I think I heard this say that the government give them at least it is to all two weeks or something so to get it up and run in one of the things I mean which is sad is that people in the community come together because they see the need for them to come together and sometimes they don't see the need but maybe the authorities you know see the need to come together to forming themselves into a group all right but then I didn't they get all the training they got all the assistance all the equipment to take them to the next level exactly so what is the problem most times it's that the assistant is given to the wrong set of people how you say yeah explain let me tell you I used to be in Pranay and I am working with bigger most the only CMOS you would find on shelf at the time in this area was bigger most I never got assistance from the government to put my CMOS on job okay so you did not utilize the processing plant in Pranay no I had my own processing plant and if I go to them they tell me they don't give individual help okay you you in your in your business in terms of government assistance you all did everything on your own you well yes but we still we did got some assistance from the government when I think back in 2017 we did a course with Ministry of Agriculture and it did after the course they did offer some assistance some equipment that needed to purchase and it did help at the time yes when my retort was supposed to come in yes and I got the juice dispenser I felt that was so disrespectful I felt that that was disrespectful I don't make table juice or anything so you're giving me one gallon of a gallon juice dispenser what's that but somebody must have made a mistake a mistake a manufacturer I don't sell by the road but juice dispenser this sometimes things things happen things happen stretch to yeah but then where you think the CMOS industry should be the next step what what what what what you think I believe we should form an organization and everybody with products like these is supposed to at least find a way I believe with the help of the government to export our CMOS out of Sanctuary okay not a value added not not wrong value added okay what do you think I agree with her we should come to we should come to agreement I should see so that we could put our products together and to export it as St. Lucia not as a single product yes but as a Saint Lucia product as I say this is coming from St. Lucia and not bigger Seymour yeah Seymour yes yes yes yes I'm I'm not saying that our brands would not be the same it will be the same brand but it comes in as St. Lucia package anyway I just want to ensure that the people know about our Seymour's fiesta on October 16th in for the park denry it starts at 10 o'clock and ends at 6 o'clock it's a whole it's a family affair a family day bringing your kids because there's a kid zone so you can get your bunks in castle because you're going to ride horses if you want to you know and get your ice creams and they'll also be Seymour's ice cream on sale there'll be a well-stocked bars and food so you'll have enough food to keep it for the day and of course what will keep you there is our lineup for our entertainment and we have taboo melee we have what service the East Coast string band we have the secret band we have Jazzy Buhingson and of course with Jabdu Plesi we have Umpah Sabans and we also have Ray Lee and T-blacks and DYP so we well well armed for that day so we really would like you know you know people to come and enjoy a day you know it's a while we have not come to Fodor for jazz because Fodor is known for jazz okay so we bring a little semblance of jazz back so while you sipping on your on your on your Seymour's drink you know and I hope some of it to be at least with a little alcohol so you will have a we'll have a wonderful day you know in Fodor then we so I really thank you all for being here and I really like again to thank you for being in Fodor on on on on the 16th to bring out your product that people see you know COVID had us and to envelope that our homes right now I think we should come out and actually show St. Lucia or what we can do during COVID people stayed at home and they did a lot of experiment you know so right now show the show the experiment and I am wishing you all good luck as you continue to put new products out there and to take it to the next level and hoping that we will be able to ship one product once in Lucia product out of St. Lucia to the rest of the world so thanks for being here you've been watching agriculture in the move thank you for viewing and remember our culture is our business eat fresh St. Lucia's best I'm Philip Sidney goodbye and God bless yes