 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am Genelle Norvell. This edition, Stop Stories. The Ministry of Agriculture renews its thrust for a thriving coconut industry. The Bureau of Standards warns against the fraudulent use of the Sinclutia Standard Mark and digital education training is expanded across the nation's schools. The Ministry of Agriculture continues to explore various avenues in developing the local coconut industry. Minister Honourable Ezekiel Joseph recently participated in a regional forum that discussed the results of a survey on the industry commissioned for a Caribbean project designed to help the development of the coconut industry. Phase 1 of the project, which spanned 2015 to 2018, saw approximately 5,000 farmers sourcing plant-in materials from more than 20 seedling nurseries established and or refurbished across the Caribbean. More than 2,000 farmers and 474 extension officers were trade industry management, pest management, crop production, processing, trade finance and group dynamics. Additionally, 11 private public platforms were established and a new Caribbean-wide standard for packaged coconut water developed. Noting the challenges faced by coconut water vendors, Chairman of the National Stakeholders' Platform, Kenny Daniel, said the first is now to create a coconut vendors cooperative. They're not an organization that takes care of them. So they can be pushed and today they push one direction and then next time they push another way. Marketing body is supposed to be demolished. What happens to them? So that's one of the things I was looking at and then because of that I said, today we need to form an association or a cooperative that can address your needs. And so far we are doing good as far as the cooperative is concerned. We have the bylaws, we have the registrar and his team on board and I must say that I was very surprised and you know, when I saw the amount of efforts that they put in this whole cooperative development for the coconut vendors and Stakeholders. The European Union and Cary Forum-funded project received a further investment of 6 million euros to develop the region's coconut industry in phase two. Having commenced in 2019 phase two of the project focuses on improving the competitiveness of farmers and strengthening the coconut value chain. Climate change, health and nutrition, increasing investments and value added product development will be emphasized. Daniel explained that St. Lucia too will be intensifying efforts to boost the coconut industry from the raw products to agro-processing and export. The platform will also be working with outside entities where possible in that vein. Some ventures include establishing MOUs with land owners to grow coconut trees outside of St. Lucia as well as the establishment of a venue dubbed Toot Bagai Cocoa. Recently, somebody said to me, Kenny, you don't know there is this food court in Grozily? Obviously, Bangladesh and Lucia. I said, no, well, I don't really go travel up to the north because there's traffic jam and all these kinds of things that I sit on. And when I went, I was surprised. I said, okay, let me see what we can do. So I went to the Grozier Council and spoke to the mayor and he was very accommodated. And then he says, hey, this is an excellent idea. And just like Peterson Francis in Castries, he said to me, you're solving all our problems because you're bringing them together. And then once you bring them together, then we don't have the problem of root side vending again. We still have people who want the traditional coconut water. They want to seed. But eventually they understand that, hey, this is done on the sanitary conditions. So for example, if we get some space in Odza, you can deliver your thousand coconuts. We'll schedule everything. You deliver your thousand coconuts a day. Somebody has delivered a thousand tomorrow. And we go around working with the coconuts and doing what we have to do. So eventually, you know, sell maybe a thousand coconuts every day. So you get two bags of cocoa, okay, Gesh? Two bags of everything. Everything. Well, the project, which will run until 2023, will be implemented by the International Trade Center in partnership with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute Cardi and other regional and national partners. The project also aims to enable the participating Caribbean states to capitalize on rapidly growing global demands for coconuts. The global trade in coconut water alone is projected to grow by more than 25% in the next five years. The ministries are again encouraging all residents of St. Lucia to get vaccinated to protect themselves, their family, and the wider society against COVID-19. A total of 29,023 individuals have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 20,042 of those have also received the second dose. The COVID-19 vaccination drive continues at sites, island-wide. Maintime director of the Pan-American Health Organization has made another appeal for access to vaccines in the hemisphere. Dr. Carissa Atien says in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago reported the largest spike in COVID-19 infections and deaths over the past month, while hospitalizations in Haiti continue to stretch the country's oxygen supplies. Dr. Atien says the region desperately needs more doses of COVID-19 vaccines. While we need more doses everywhere, the country is at greatest risk where vaccines have been slowest to arrive, and even where vulnerable populations have yet to be protected, these countries urgently need more vaccines. We are thankful for the United States government's decision to donate an initial 6 million doses to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Spain has also generously donated 5 million doses to Latin America and the Caribbean. And we are so grateful to Canada, which has committed 50 million Canadian dollars to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines in the region. We hope that other countries, particularly those with excess doses and global financial institutions will follow in the footsteps to provide the support that we need to protect the 70% of our population that will not be covered under COVID-19. The power director says it is important that countries rely on the science as the region pushes towards vaccination. This virus has been extensively researched. Treatments and vaccines have undergone rigorous testing and global institutions like the WHO and PAHO are continuing to update guidance based on the latest available evidence. We urge countries to use this guidance and focus on what works. Unproven treatments must be studied in the realm of clinical trials, not promoted for political gain while patients are made more vulnerable by embracing strategies that don't work. As we look to the months ahead, we must remember that the decisions we take will affect our collective ability to control this virus. If current trends continue, the health, social and economic disparities in our region will grow even larger and it will be years before we control this virus in the Americas. But by working together, we can limit the spread of COVID-19. We can move closer to a more equal world and fulfill our promise of health for all. Director of PAHO, Dr. Carissa Atien. The St. Lucia Bureau of Standards SLBS has become aware of the fraudulent use of the St. Lucia Standard Mark on documents being presented with items imported into St. Lucia. The St. Lucia Standard Mark on a product is a quality seal indicating that the product complies with regionally and internationally accepted national standards and that the supplier maintains an efficient and appropriate quality management system. The mark is not a trade license and does not replace normal trade regulations. The sale and issue of the mark by any party other than the SLBS is prohibited under the Standards Act and will be prosecuted. Persons culpable of this offence are liable to a fine of $10,000 and an additional penalty of $1,000 for every day of which the offence continues or to imprisonment for six months. The Bureau of Standards advises retailers to refrain from accepting fraudulent documents in the normal transaction of business and should report such documents presented to them to the SLBS. The teacher training component under the Profritero Digital Education Pilot Program in St. Lucia has been expanded beyond the initial 12 schools to equip as many educators at the primary school level as possible while working through pandemic conditions. The program is an initiative of the Spain-based Profritero Foundation and is being facilitated in St. Lucia and for other countries of the English-speaking Caribbean by the Organization of American States, OAS. 12 schools were initially part of the pilot receiving technological equipment and educational content in addition to the teacher training offered to all primary school teachers. Curriculum specialists for technology integration in the Department of Education, Innovation and Gender Relations, German Anthony, says the training has been a great help since the return to in-class instruction. We find that the teachers can be a little more comfortable with using the equipment that was provided in the Profritero and even if the schools do not have that specific equipment, the fact that the content can be integrated with other equipment means that the training is not lost. The content itself can be accessed online, it can be downloaded, but you don't need to have specifically the tablets donated by Profritero to be able to use the resources and that's the key thing. The Profritero equipment provides an intranet experience in a classroom. A laptop for the teacher comes with an access point that can be used to transmit learning content to tablets for students Anthony says a teacher who has completed the training but does not have the equipment can still access the Profritero education content online. Resident representative of the OAS in St. Lucia, Li Li Ching Soto says the pilot project was timely in bridging gaps for digital education in St. Lucia just when the pandemic began affecting the education sector. We received the equipment at the Ministry of Education of St. Lucia coming straight from Spain February 2020, March 2020 schools were closed. So it was so timely to have this project being rolled out right at the same time as the COVID pandemic was happening that it showed us the power of transformation, the need for transformation and it was absolutely key into moving forward together with the Ministry of Education of St. Lucia into trying to reduce the gap for digital education and also for children to have access to education because COVID was so disruptive and this initiative was part of the initiatives that the Ministry of Education was able to take on in order to be able to access those children or and these children have access to this education that they were missing especially for the first months. Profritero digital education program pilot will continue for our 2021 and is hoped to be fully expanded to other primary schools in 2022. This is NTN Nightly Up next, Primers Hutchinson NTN Nouvelle Aquaiolo Here at St. Lucia Distillers we produce an award-winning range of ROMs and ROM products. We export our ROMs to the Caribbean, North America and Europe. Standards facilitate our entry into overseas markets. In the ROM business it is critical that our distillers and blenders get it right. St. Lucia Distillers is HASAP certified. There are two standards from SLBS the standard for labeling of prepackaged foods SLNS 1-3 2014 and the National Specification for ROM SLNS 12-2003 We are also a registered member of the West Indies ROM and Spirit Producers Association Whisper. SLBS ensures that we are up to standard and world-class. This message is brought to you by the Commonwealth Standards Network. Welcome back. We join Primers Hutchinson for the NTN Nouvelle Aquaiolo. Thank you so much, Janelle. Thank you Madam Department of Universities Information to the government to the GIS to the National Television to NTN to the Nouvelle Aquaiolo to Primers Hutchinson. Management for the St. Jude Hospital I have learned a lot to make sure that one who needs an X-ray service can get a free service. The hospital has tried to pay for transportation for patients to get a service for other institutions in this country. For the next few months the St. Jude Hospital can get an X-ray service and then the machine can get a free service. But I have to be honest to the hospital by assing that I have never been in a place to find a solution for the hospital to get a free service as soon as possible. The machine can get a free service for the whole month of 2020. Madam Ernest I have learned a lot to the hospital to make sure that one who needs an X-ray service can get a free service for other institutions in this country. Madam Ernest I have learned a lot to the hospital by assing that I have never been in a place to get a free service. I have learned a lot to the hospital by assing that I have learned a lot to the hospital by assing that I have learned a lot to the hospital by assing that I have learned a lot to the hospital by assing that I have learned a lot to the hospital by assing that I have learned a lot to the hospital The hospital has spent for the whole equipment, we've visited the machine-created sentry to serve as a operation. Agents of public health, for the Karebla CPI, that is CAFER, I have consulted the ministry of health to help the health authorities of San Sahara that have started to affect the Karebla CPI and continue to help those who have come to the Karebla CPI. If we don't cover it, it will be possible for the situation to be affected even if there is a higher level of organization that has already been established. Because of this situation, there is an increase in the amount of money that has been paid and the amount of money that has been paid. This is an appeal that I have made to help people and it is more important for people to be able to serve the masses because of the coronavirus that will continue to affect the country because of the situation there that will be affected. It is so important for people to have a good problem. So I would like to call on the people who have a different problem, the situation, the signage, the condition. To go to the doctor and be a medical assistant, this is the most difficult thing to do. So the organization is certain that it will advise the public to limit the activities that they need and to make sure that they serve the masses so that they will be able to serve the people. I have the responsibility to agriculture and to educate Joseph, so that he can continue to change the values in the international place. According to the Minister of Agriculture, it is just there that someone has bought the country. I have said that we demand again to make sure that we make this place more expensive in the international place. We have to make sure that Joseph makes sure that the situation is the same and that he has a good advantage for the industry in this place. But what we have to do is to make sure that we make this place more expensive and that we get a pre-fixed service. So, we have to make sure that money is a problem but the quality is important. So we have to be able to be supportive of this place. Minister, one of the things we need to do is to bring education. It is important for them to have a good education and to have a good service. This will also help us to consider the needs of the English people who are most important to have a good education and a better education. We have to do this, we have to build a irrigation system. So the place where irrigation seems to be a good place to do it. And the place where there is a irrigation system is a choice. because we use a water source to irrigate. So I would like to say goodbye to those who have helped us to assist our farmers. Thank you Madam. I would like to say goodbye to all of you. Thank you so much for watching. I hope you have an invitation. I would like to say goodbye to all of you. I wish you a lot of good news. I wish you a lot of good news. I wish you a lot of good news. Mess your pill primers. That brings us to the end of NTN Nightly. Join us next time at 7 p.m. with a repeat at 7 a.m. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am Channel Nobel.