Following an official visit to Taiwan, the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has announced a promising new agricultural partnership focused on the scientific and commercial development of locally grown seamoss.
During the trip, the SVG delegation toured the food sciences department at National Ilan University in northeastern Taiwan, where they met with the facility’s researchers.
Deputy Prime Minister St Clair Leacock revealed that the university has already placed seamoss grown in the Grenadines under scientific evaluation.
During the tour, Taiwanese experts presented the SVG delegation with a wide range of commercial and scientific possibilities that can be derived from the local marine product.
Most notably, the university expressed a strong willingness to partner with SVG in the areas of food and drug development, as well as other value-added activities related to the seamoss.
This international collaboration perfectly aligns with the current administration’s economic and agricultural goals.
Leacock reminded the public that the SVG government fully intends to establish a massive agro-processing plant in the Grenadines, an investment projected to be valued at $50 million or more.
The new contacts and partnerships forged with Taiwan’s food science experts are expected to play a crucial role in advising and directing SVG on how best to advance its agro-processing capabilities.
This initiative builds upon other recent efforts driven by the local Minister of Agriculture to expand the nation’s agricultural sector.