Taiwan Minister visits St Lucian banana farm promoting new cooperation
During his stay, Vice Minister Liu visited ‵Banana Productivity Improvement Project (BPIP) ′ office and local banana farm at Crown Land in the morning of 30th August to better understand the actual needs of the Saint Lucian banana industry.
Deputy Permanent Secretary Augustin Cadette of the Ministry of Agriculture of Saint Lucia, on behalf of the Ministry welcomed the delegation and expressed gratitude to the government and people of Taiwan for its contribution in assisting the development of agriculture of Saint Lucia.
Mr. Cadette emphasized that banana is one of the most important economic crops in the island, the Ministry look forward to continuing to cooperate with the government of Taiwan to further increase the productivity and quality of the local bananas.
Vice Minister Liu noted that the banana industry plays an important role in the economy of Saint Lucia and the Taiwan government will remain committed to support the development of the island’s banana industry through the joint effort of the two countries.
After the meeting, Vice minister Liu visited the local banana farmers at Crow Land to see the banana harvesting and packing process. He also talked with local farmers, and sampled some bananas and praised their unique and delicious flavour.
The new bilateral banana project will be executed over a four-year period and cost nearly 5 million US dollars.
During the first year, the major focus shall be on restoring the industry to pre-Matthew condition and increasing productivity on the existing acreages. Thereafter attention will be placed on expanding current acreages, building resilience to climate change, establishing sustainable financing mechanism, building capacity and strengthening diseases control measures.
For more information: stlucianewsonline.com