The Orange Hill Agriculture Biotechnology Centre hosted the closing ceremony for the “Production and Management of Disease Free Sweet Potato Planting Material” training course, which was a crucial component of the Regional Sweet Potato Value Chain Enhancement and Technology Transfer Project.
On the final day, participants participated in a variety of activities, including a lecture on sweet potato plant management in a nursery, gathering planting supplies, testing processes, and country-specific presentations on sweet potato cultivation in their respective nations. Participants also went on a tour of the Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute field station near Orange Hill, where they saw many sweet potato types.
The day ended with a ceremonial closing ceremony, signalling the end of the programme.
This event gave participants the opportunity to be recognised for their efforts and achievements. During the ceremony, participants from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, Belize, the Cayman Islands, and Grenada received certificates of completion. The participants acknowledged their gratitude and exchanged reflections, reflecting on the knowledge and skills they had acquired during the three-day training period.
Hon. Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry, and Labour, congratulated the participants on their engagements and emphasised the importance of their training. He also provided insight into future cooperation and projects with the Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI).
Donwa Jackson, CARDI Representative for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Reginald Andall, CARDI Representative for Grenada and Project Coordinator, and Dr. Oral Daley, Project Lead for Component 2 of the Department of Food and Production, Faculty of Food and Agriculture, at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, all made noteworthy remarks.
These speakers emphasised the importance of the training and how it will benefit sweet potato agriculture in their respective nations.
This training was a joint effort between CARDI and the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, with funding from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
