 Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move. Agriculture on the move. Hello again, Saint Lucia, and welcome to the program, Agriculture on the Move, Agriculture on the Move. Yes, we are on the move. And with me today is the captain of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Honorable Alfred Prospect, who is responsible for agriculture, fisheries, food security, and rural development. Welcome to the program, sir. Yes, thank you very much. Yes, one. Mr. Prospect, so much is happening, and that's why I wanted to come back now to tell Saint Lucia where we are, because there's so much happening in the Ministry. We need to let the public know what is going on. When you came into the Ministry, and your mantra right now is food security, food and nutrition security. When you came in, did you come into the Ministry with that mantra in mind? Well, I wouldn't say I came with it in mind, but I believe that at the time there was a global frost with regards to securing food, food security, and one of the terms that was very common was nutrition security, and coming out of the COVID, there was this general view that persons were, because we had a lockdown during that time, remember, and persons were not able to access the food and not be able to access their nutritious foods because of the lockdown and so on. Obviously, unemployment was a key factor because the number of persons had lost their job and they were not able to buy the right foods, the right quality foods, et cetera, and this whole food security thing came out, and it really struck me. And then I realized that my ministry is responsible for the production of food. Correct. And I said that responsibility lies in the ministry, and as the minister, I thought it was necessary for us to push this agenda because I would hate to know that St. Lucia, considering the high import of a number of commodities that we can grow here, St. Lucia could have faced or been faced with a crisis of not being able to have sufficient foods to feed our nation. And this is what drove me, this is what inspired me to really push this food security agenda in the ministry of agriculture and as the new minister. And I'm very happy with what we've been doing so far. I was happy that the second phase of the seven crops program was launched very early in my tenure, and it was all about reducing our food import bill and ensuring that we are food secure. I am not too happy with where we are, although our production of food has increased, which is a very remarkable thing, but I'm still concerned very much about the high cost of imports of food into St. Lucia. I'm hoping that we will work together and ensure that we reduce it as much as possible because I will always see that I was very concerned when I saw the figures of almost $300,000 in the first quarter of this year of cabbage being imported to St. Lucia. More than $160,000 worth of lettuce. You know, it is just unacceptable for us to be pushing this agenda, but yet we continue to import so much of what we can grow in St. Lucia. I'm hoping that by this first phase or second phase of the seven crops program we can see a massive reduction in our imports of those foods, especially those that we can grow, like the watermelons, the cantileverine apple, the cabbage, the lettuce. I am certainly sure we can do a lot better. And I have been in discussions with the stakeholders, the persons who are driving this whole seven crops program to find ways to really make it happen. And just last week, I had a meeting with the Taiwanese ambassador expressing my concerns in how I see the seven crops program can assist in making that happen. So I'm very happy, but I'm still not, I'm sure. I'm still not where I want to be. You were supposed to be. Yes. Very good, very good. Recently, you and the prime minister attended an agricultural investment forum in Trinidad. And there we were told the curriculum said that the St. Lucia, as far as we are the best performing agricultural sector in Caricom. Yes. What say you to that, sir? I sat there and I felt very good. And the prime minister himself was very, very happy to get something like that. I mean, when you sit in an audience with so many people and you hear some mention of that regarding your country, you feel good. And as the minister of agriculture at the time, I was very happy to hear that. But that is work in progress that I was very happy. And it actually indicated to me that our farmers are understanding their role, their responsibilities. And they really value the fact that we are responsible for that sector. And we have to ensure that we provide the nation with enough food and nutritious foods. But at the same time, we have to work with them to ensure that we reduce that food import bill. They can make more money. They can make a greater profit from the work. They had work on the farms on the day to day. Definitely. And leading to that, of course, you have had meetings with the farmers. You have heard their plight. And I'm sure certain things are happening, not to the level where you would want to. But some assistance has been given to the farmers. And one of the things that happened so far was the banana subsidy. Speak about that. Yeah, the banana subsidy. I mean, I am very concerned about our banana farmers because every meeting I attended was that the need for government support because of the high cost of fertilizer. And every time I sat at the meetings, at those meetings, I really wish I could take that stand and say, I will do it. But at the end of the day, it's not about me only. It's about the cabinet. It's about making sure we have the finance. And just two weeks ago, I mean, when we discussed the cabinet, the cabinet would embrace the idea that it is time that we give some level of support to our banana farmers in particular. And we approve the 40% subsidy. I know the cabinet would have liked to give a little more. But considering the financial constraints that we are faced with revenue as a country, we could not have done it. So we decided to start with a 30% subsidy over two cycles. So we are starting a cycle now. And we are hoping that before the end of December, we will be giving another cycle of 40% subsidy. It is a little solarage for the farmers. Let me tell you something about the government. I think it's very important. Because a lot of farmers are going to have to sell for $8 a year. If they sell it for $1,000, that's a huge problem. It's a huge problem. We don't have enough solar energy. But we don't have enough solar energy. We don't have enough solar energy. And we are going to continue to look at the government as a source of support to make a better life. We are also going to have to go to the gym. Because we are going to have to go to the gym as a source of support. And the government is going to give us a donation of $4,000. And we are going to distribute this to the whole country. We have a whole family of farmers. But we are going to try to look at it as many as possible. And these farmers, I don't know. Last week, Tuesday, under the Seven Crops program, we also had a sale on farm inputs. And the 25 kg bag of fertilizer was being sold to the farmers at $50 a bag. We had Pitmos, the Pitmos bag, which you will now find in the shops for $75, $80. They were going for $35 a bag. And we know very well that the farmers, the vegetable farmers, also suffer the same high costs or problems as the active banana farmers. But we try our best to reach out to as many farmers as possible to make life easier for them, to reduce the burden on the pockets, having to spend so much for fertilizer. And I'm hoping that all our farmers will take advantage of this opportunity because it's very important for food security, for the agricultural sector, for our banana industry. And I'm really, really happy that I can give us a relief that we have taken some action to assist our farmers. Though you think that what you have done so far or what we have done so far in the ministry, you know, it is still small. But in the wider sector of St. Lucia, everybody is watching agriculture. Yes, sir. Just recently there, you know, my good friend, Claudia, said that you have to watch the minister of agriculture. He doesn't talk much, but he's delivering, you know, and that says a lot. Yes, I feel very good about it. And I want to mention to my staff in the ministry that it's not about me, it's about the sector. It's about a sector that is very important for the development of the country. You know, when we saw what happened during COVID, the entire tourism sector came to a halt. And it was the agricultural sector that continued to feed our nation. So we cannot underestimate the agricultural sector. And we have to be able to give the farmer support at a time when you have the Ukraine war that is placing tremendous pressure on shipping, you know, high cost of feed and so on for our poultry farmers and a number of issues that has really made it very challenging for the farmers in the sector. And I felt that the ministry needed to, you know, wake up, wake up and to really reach out and to be able to demonstrate that level of interest in what our farmers do, what our stakeholders in the agricultural sector do, and to really take it to that level where I can see we are going. And I'm hoping that we can head to where we're supposed to be getting very soon from now. And the other thing too, I mean, the major thing there is to create the environment for the farmers, because once there is a market, the farmers are produced, you know. And the other thing too that I think we created the dent in was the exports of our bananas to the regions and also back to the UK. Very good. And just a short while ago, I was engaging in the NFTU and really discussing, you know, how we can build on what we've started in the UK. A lot of people were not sure that we were going to regain this market, but we have it and we need to be able to build on what we have and sustain it. But I want to always say to the farmers, it's about producing a high quality fruit. Our taste has always been what we are, marketing our bananas around for the taste. And I'm telling you, no other country in the world has a banana that tastes as good as this. So we have to profit that opportunity and make sure our farmers continue to benefit from the industry. The region, yes, it is very important. There's tremendous opportunity in the region. And I also want us not to rely heavily on just the UK market, but to see how much we can penetrate the region. Trinidad and St. Kitts and Tiger and St. Thomas, all those countries within the region, we need to tap into those countries to see how we can really get our bananas and not just our bananas. I was just about saying that, not only our bananas, yes. All the produce, like our root crops, our yams, our dashi, mangos, our fruit, our plantin. And you know, really create that hub, that opportunity for our farmers to be able to produce in high quantities with the hope that they are going to sell, the markets are available, and they are going to make the kind of profit that they expect to be from our region. Yeah, that is very, very crucial. That is important. And I always maintain, especially when it comes to assist farmers, when it comes from the extension officers, and what they're supposed to learn, let us do it. Let us do it. That's what we have to do. Once we create the enabling environment for the farmers, they're happy, you know. Once, you see the little subsidy you're giving them, the little assistance, that goes a long way. So we have to do that, sir. Yeah, and you're touching a very key area there. In spite of all of the good work that we're doing, giving the farmers the subsidy, but it's still heavily rely on the extension services. And if we are getting farmers saying that I'm not seeing the extension officers, I call them and I don't get them, and they take time to reach out to us. We are still, you know, not bridging that gap and helping the farmers. It is a problem. It is, it is. And then we need to call the speeder. We need to call the speeder. That is also a condition. Yes, yes. I had the opportunity to meet all the extension officers a few months ago, and I'm just hoping that we can see that zeal coming from them in terms of reaching out, engaging, giving the support that the farmers expect of them and to really move that agricultural sector, move it to the next level. Just last week again, I want to inform that I was engaging the Taiwanese ambassador, and we are working together to see how we can get some small improvements into the sector. Before the end of this year, hopefully, we have been guaranteed by the Taiwanese government to sponsor St. Lucia 8 small tillers, and I'm certainly sure that it will go along with assisting the farmers. And we in the ministry, the government are supported by approving 450,000 EC dollars to get small equipment that we can really get into the sector, mechanize the whole sector. Because I hear all the time that agricultural workers are very scarce, it's very difficult to get that, but mechanizing the sector will help deal with that problem and reduce over the cost of production of the farmers. Definitely. At this juncture, we'll take our break. You're watching agriculture in the move. Please stay tuned. There's a motto come. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Rural Development is placing heavy emphasis on the concept of food security. It's our prosperity, our future. The enhancement of the efficiency of production, distribution, supply chain in the fruit and vegetable sector project, more commonly known as the seven crops project, is intended to increase local production of all selected crops and decrease our food import bill through the diversification of the agricultural sector and increased production of the targeted crops. Among the provisions are subsidized input sales, seedling distribution, introduction of new varieties, introduction to new technology, erection of weather stations, and capacity building. For more on the seven crops project, contact the project coordinator at 468-8122. Welcome back to the program. Agriculture on the move, of course, with me, the Honorable Minister for Agriculture, the Honorable Alfred Prospe. And of course, we're just giving you a snippet of what's happening in the ministry. There's so much noise happening, but we will give you some of the main ones. Another area, Mr. Prospe, that we have done quite a lot of work in is the agro-processing. Just recently, there was an agro-processing unit that was given to a new set of persons to run at Angers, which is the cassava processing plant. What is in store for our agro-processers in St. Lucia? We have about 80% or more agro-processers in St. Lucia, but they seem to be scattered all over the place. They seem not to be so organized. Now, in the recent weeks, we've been seeing an emergence of the agro-processing sub-sector. We had one opened in Babono by the former Minister for Agriculture, and that's very good to see a Minister for Agriculture actually going into something like agro-processing. He seemed to understand the value of it. And soon after, we saw an cassava processing facility open in Angers. Soon from now, we will be seeing another facility in Angers. I think it's the CoCo for Menturi. For Menturi, we've actually identified somebody to actually manage this facility. And we are getting a number of calls from persons of interest for the agro-processing facility in Fon Asson. I want to see the agro-processing sub-sector rise to get to the next level. I see a lot of local... The first is more local in terms of the sector. You can find certain byproducts locally. But I want to see that level where we can now be exporting a lot of the byproducts. To reach up like the barons. Yes, just like the barons. So I want those persons who are using our bananas to prepare what you call banana wine and all those things. I want to be able to see now we are moving those products to the supermarket shelves in Trinidad, in St. Vincent, in the other countries of the world. And so at that time, I can see the whole benefits of value adding. Because for years now, we've been seeing our primary products leaving St. Blusier. But what comes out is the byproducts of those same primary products that we have here. Coming back to our shelves. Yes, and I'm saying, for example, the CMOS. There is a lot of focus on the raw material. They harvest it, they dry it, they export it. But a lot of the byproducts that can be made out of CMOS, we have not really tapped into that. And it's the same thing for the bananas, for the mangoes, for the cassava. I mean, we went to Trinidad and we went to this exhibition, the expo. I mean, so many things that can be done from cassava, from our coco, you know, I really need to see St. Blusier moved to that next level. And I know, I mean, the first thing that they would say is that government needs to give the support. We have that level of support in place because farmers must never forget, we have what we call the agricultural and fisheries incentive act that gives farmers and other persons involved in the sector, where they have to purchase small equipment for agriculture and other agricultural inputs. You get duty-free concession from that and from that. So I wouldn't have to tap into it. So if you want to bring in your special pots and machines for agricultural processing, you will get agricultural, you will get concessions by the government to actually get into it. So I wouldn't have to remember that is available and it's available years back. Take advantage of it to help build your business, to ensure that your business benefit and make money from your business. But what I really want to see from the whole apropos and sub-sector is to grow it to the level where we can be exporting, we can be doing our branding, our promotion. So for example, our seamos. You know, we can use our seamos and say we have this seamos wine and this seamos gel and this seamos soap. You know, I want to be able to know that we can see we are exporting to those countries. And when I travel to those countries, you can see the blue-shirt brand of our seamos and so on and so on. But I'm really happy with the fact that we are seeing an interest in it and the interest is a clear indication that there is prospect, there is opportunity, there are benefits to be derived from it and I just hope our solutions can continue to tap in that interest. And one of the things that we began and we need to continue, I mean, we have had the festivals, we had the banana festival and it was a huge success. People saw so many things that can be derived from bananas. The mango, an upcoming one is the seamos festival which on October 16th will foodie the four-door. That one will be a huge one because so much so far at the meeting I had this morning, we have about almost 20 participants doing seamos and we'll be showcasing them. And that still does not take away from about 15 persons who are from the restaurants who are looking at the culinary aspect of it. So you can imagine how huge it is going to be and then from them hoping to move into the coco, hoping to move into the cassava, you know, and the list goes on, the coconut, you know. So all of these things that the ministry definitely have to showcase. And this is really good because it is now creating an opportunity for our young persons, our entrepreneurs and other persons. The youth economy. The youth economy, you know, look at ways that they can actually benefit from the youth economy in terms of setting up their own enterprise, their own business, you know. And I'm really happy to help of the seamos and it's happening. I was told in Fonda Park in January, I'm hoping that a number of persons will take the opportunity to actually visit the site on that day to see what it's like. It's a family day. It's a family day, you know, and, you know, go out there and actually really see what is happening from what we produce locally, you know. It is really good. And I'm very happy and you just mentioned the whole, the number of, we had a banana festival. We had a mango festival. We have a seamos festival. We're going to have coco festival. And this is really, really good for us. And not only that, added to that, what I like is the young people, the schools. Schools. I mean, you'll not be imagining what the schools, you saw that, what they did at the mango festival and at the banana festival. A lot can be done, you know. So all they need is to get some seed money, you know, in the youth economy. SLDB has come on body, you know. And they will be there too. And your local credit unions. The local credit unions can give some support in that industry. Let's move along. We're going to Fisheries and there's a Fisheries policy. Tell us about this Fisheries policy. I'm happy to announce that the cabinet just approved the Fisheries policy about two weeks ago. And it's a policy that the process started, I think, some three years ago, I think, 2019. And it was really a follow-up to what we had was called a Fisheries plan, a strategic plan for Fisheries. But because of all the changes that have been, you know, happening in that sub-sector, the ministry felt also the need for a policy that would guide the whole direction of the whole fisheries sector. And to look at areas like research, like sustainability and a number of ways that our fisheries sector can benefit, especially in terms of funding opportunities. I'm sure a lot of you would have heard about the unleashing of the blue economy. And St. Lucia's and Fisheries Department stand to benefit tremendously from funding to undertake a number of activities in the fisheries sector and in the absence of a Fisheries policy that would not have been possible. So the Fisheries policy, we had a presentation by members of the Fisheries Department to the cabinet ministers, who was, and we were convinced that the policy was in line with the whole sector in terms of the marketing, in terms of sustainability, private sector engagement. And this is really a document that I think that needed to really give direction to the whole fisheries sector, because we know all the issues in regards to our, our, our, our fishes and, you know, the whole issue of turtles and whether we should have as turtles and... And also, yeah, the other... ...willing and a number of other issues that I felt we needed to really, you know, give direction to. And I'm happy to inform the fishers that we have a new policy that will guide the sector between now and 2040. Beautiful, beautiful. We had a tour of the meat processing facility. Sadly, it's in the States. I honestly, I don't want to talk about it, because it is so sensitive. And so you tour it for the first time. Tell us, give us your opinion. My opinion is that it should have been operational many years ago. Because here is it, you have a facility, you have a facility that was donated by the government and people of Taiwan to really boost up the whole livestock sector in St. Lucia. That would be one objective of reducing our, our meat, because we still import high quantity of meat into St. Lucia. But more importantly, we would have an available market for our livestock, our, our, the pussians in the, in the swine, sub-sector, small women and so et cetera. And I was, it was amazing when I went there to see such a beautiful facility with such high level of equipment in terms of high standard equipment that could really create employment for a number of our pussians, especially our farmers in the livestock sector. But it has been sitting there for years and it has not become operational. It has not been commissioned for reasons that T-working was given priority over our facility. But I believe that there is potential for it. And my ministry has actually looked at a cost benefit analysis. And we believe that the best option is to keep the facility where it is, get what equipment that is needed, conduct an assessment and really move on. That is going to be in line with our first in terms of moving the livestock sector. We have now moved the bulls issue, we located bulls issue to wallet. We are hoping to move the animals currently located in, reach for in January, two bulls issue to wallet survey before the end of the year. And to really get a program going for us to really do artificial information of swine and other small women. So we can give greater opportunities for our young farmers, our current livestock farmers to benefit from such a sector. Because at the end of the day, if that meat facility gets commissioned, the farmers will not have any problem in terms of where to sell the livestock. And if I know what's for me, sir, will you call me at the end? I am always happy to be part of this program to discuss agriculture. And it's really about our farmers, our fishes, our process, our vegetable farmers, everybody in the sector, to understand the invaluable contribution that they all make to the sector. My government, my ministry, I would like to ensure or I would like to encourage the farmers to understand that we will give them the support that is necessary. I'm happy that we have been given some support to deal with the issue of the fertilizers and other farm inputs. But it's just a small contribution for now. We are hoping that as things get better, we will continue to give that kind of support. But I really want to encourage the farmers to bear patience. It's just a matter of time. It can be done. We will get things done, but continue the hard work. Thank you, Mr. Minister, for being here. And I wish you success. Thank you very much. And I know you'll succeed. Thank you very much. You've been watching our Reculture in the Move. People don't forget to see more Fiesta, October 16th, and Fodor. I'm Philip Sidney, say goodbye and see you again. God bless.