A Sensitization Workshop was conducted at the Farmer’s Training Facility in Orange Hill, as part of the Regional Sweet Potato Value Chain Enhancement and Technology Transfer Project. Farmers gained the opportunity to actively engage and expand their knowledge on sweet potato production and development at the workshop.
At the opening ceremony, Mr. Reginald Andall, Project Coordinator, provided an overview of the project, outlining its three main components and its overall succession. Dr. Oral Daley, Project Lead from the Department of Food Production, Faculty of Food and Agriculture at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, emphasized the importance of sweet potato utilization within the region.
Hon. Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry, and Labour, underscored the importance of collaboration among farmers to enhance production and productivity. He noted that cooperation is essential for ensuring the consistent availability of sweet potatoes throughout the country.
Mr. Renato Gumbs, Chief Agricultural Officer, encouraged farmers to apply the knowledge shared during the session to promote sustainable sweet potato production.
A following business session was held where each component of the project was discussed to farmers. Component One (1), presented by Mr. Reginald Andall involved a summary report and project highlights, Component Two (2) focused on research findings and was presented by Dr. Oral Daley. Component Three (3), providing outputs, was done by Ms. Denise Besai, Communications Specialist at CARDI.
This Project is funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour, continues to support farmers and strengthen the agricultural sector in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
