CASTRIES, St. Lucia – St. Lucia has signed a five-year agreement with Taiwan aimed at improving the island’s agricultural sector.
Banana farmer in Roseau, St Lucia (Photo courtesy of teleSUR)A government statement said that the “Enhancing the Efficiency of Production – Distribution Supply Chain in Fruit and Vegetable Sector in St. Lucia,” paves the way for a more efficient and diversified agricultural sector.
Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development Minister, Alfred Prospere and Taiwan’s Ambassador to St. Lucia, Peter Chen, signed the agreement, which runs until December 31, 2026 and follows a three-year accord which ended in November last year, for which the main objective was to reduce the island’s food import bill by 30 per cent during that period.
The statement said that under the program, Taiwan will leverage agricultural technology to strengthen the island’s agricultural production, improve farmers’ income, and build up the resilience of the agricultural sector to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Chen said Taiwan was pleased to partner with the St. Lucia government to implement the agricultural project.
“As our world continues to confront worsening climate emergencies, such as severe storms, hurricanes and extreme weather, food security has come under serious threat,” Chen said.
“In that regard, the Taiwan technical mission will continue to provide assistance, including promoting diversified production, establish a high efficiency production model, and strengthen the sales and marketing mechanism for local agricultural products.”
He said Taiwan’s commitment to deepening the friendship between the countries remains unwavering. St. Lucia is among a handful of Caribbean countries that enjoy diplomatic relations with Taipei which China regards as a renegade province and with Beijing urging all countries to adopt the One China policy.
“I would also like to reiterate that Taiwan will continue to work with the government of St. Lucia, and to work with the Ministry of Agriculture, to support the growth and development of St. Lucia’s agricultural sector and enhancing the betterment of our two peoples. We trust that today’s signing continues to build on the progress made to date,” The Taiwanese diplomat said.
Prospere said that the new funding will help to alleviate the plight of local farmers, ensure food security and promote diversification.
“Food security has always been a serious concern to me as a Minister. Even when I sit in Cabinet on Mondays, I’m being pressured by other Cabinet ministers that we really need to take this food security issue very seriously.
“We have seen the trend that the banana industry is taking and we are not sure if the banana industry will remain with us for too long, especially the UK market. There’s an urgent need for us as a Ministry to look at a strategy to encourage more of the banana farmers to get into diversification.”
Prospere said that while the first term of the project was successful, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic made it difficult to achieve the set targets. However, he said many farmers have expressed their appreciation for the project, adding that the second phase is very timely, as many farmers are facing financial hardships.
“Since July last year, our farmers have not been exporting bananas to the markets and they are struggling with regards to farm inputs and incentives for the whole agricultural sector. I’m confident that this five-year period of the project will really help to incentivize the farming sector in St. Lucia. I’m looking forward to seeing this project engage as many farmers as possible.”
Prospere said while farmers should be encouraged to stay within the sector, they also need to know that there are reliable markets available to sell their produce.
He said that more young people need to get into the agricultural sector and that introducing new means of technology to the sector is essential in reducing the food import bill.
“It is very important that we focus on reducing our food import bill because I’m really concerned that we are importing a number of commodities that I believe we can produce sufficiently in St. Lucia,” Prospere said, adding “I’m hoping that this phase of the project can focus more on those commodities.”
