Taiwan Technical Mission and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, natural Resources and Co-operatives of Saint Lucia held the Pineapple Production Workshop in Roseau on November 14th, 2017.
More than 50 farmers and extension officers attended the event to learn new agricultural know-how to increase pineapple production.
Pineapple is a fruit of great economic value. Currently in Saint Lucia, most pineapples are imported – due to insufficient yields from local farms. At the workshop, Taiwan Technical Mission agriculture expert Mr. Tim Shiau demonstrated methods to facilitate the flowering process of pineapple plants, which will enable the farmers to harvest the fruits just after four months. Mr. Shiau believed that Saint Lucian farmers can benefit greatly from the new technique and produce more pineapples between November and April to meet demands during the Christmas holidays and tourists high season.
The Pineapple Production Workshop is part of the on-going Fruit and Vegetable Demonstration and Extension Project (second phase) in which Taiwan is investing US$750,000. To date, the Project had implemented 600 field technical advisory services, provided 20,000 seedlings, and trained over 2,000 farmers, steadily fulfilling its goal of improving local farmers’ competitiveness and revenue. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.
Source: Saint Lucia News Online