 Under the visionary mandate of the Ministry of Agriculture to achieve food and nutrition security, a farmer-filled school program has been launched with an aim of enhancing the productivity and efficiency of farmers in the api culture sector. The eight-week farmer-filled school program empowers farmers with practical knowledge and skills, addressing production deficiencies and promoting sustainable growth through theory and practical exercises, covering hive management, beekeeping-based practices, disease control, honey harvesting, quality standards, and marketing strategies. Recognizing the pivotal role of standards in ensuring quality and competitiveness, head of standard development at the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards, Andre Charles, emphasized the significance of the draft apiculture code of practice and honey specification in promoting standardized practices within the industry. These things are very important to the beekeepers and apiaries on the whole because these are used for trade. It's really the standards, our way of getting a set product, a product of a particular quality and the management of the bees in a particular way and again achieving a particular quality. So it's very important that our standards are utilized and again I'll mention that our standards are voluntary, the code of practice and the specifications are voluntary but again these are guidance documents to provide the better or best outcomes in the beekeeping industry. As the agriculture ministry continues to prioritize the growth of the agriculture sector, apiculture coordinator attached to the Veterinary and Livestock Services Division, Charis Auguste Hyacinth explained that the farmer-filled school program aims to provide farmers with the necessary tools and techniques to excel in their apiculture practices. The Ministry of Agriculture has noticed insufficient production in honey. So we wanted to target specifically for honey production to increase productivity and efficiency of farmers. So with the mandate given by the prime minister and the funding, this is one of the engagements we have for the year. It is an eight-week training program where you have three weeks theory and the rest of it will be heavy practical to get the productivity and then the farmers will be going on to a mentorship program where you will have a mentor alongside you for at least three years to help you increase productivity. By impacting crucial knowledge and practical skills, the farmer-filled school program championed by the Ministry of Agriculture is poised to empower apiculture farmers, propelling them towards sustainable growth in the agricultural landscape. From the communications unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Anicia Antoine reporting.