The Ministry of Agriculture continues to explore various avenues in developing the local Coconut Industry.

The Ministry of Agriculture continues to explore various avenues in developing the local Coconut Industry. Minister, Hon Ezechiel Joseph recently participated in a Regional Forum that discussed the results of a survey on the Industry commissioned for a Caribbean Project designed to help the development of the Coconut Industry. Phase I of the project, which spanned 2015 to 2018, saw approximately 5,000 farmers sourcing planting materials from more than 20 seedling nurseries established and or refurbished across the Caribbean. More than 2,000 farmers and 474 extension officers were trained in nursery management, pest management, crop production, processing, trade, finance and group dynamics. Additionally, 11 private –public platforms were established and a new Caribbean wide standard for packaged coconut water developed. Noting the challenges faced by coconut water vendors, Chairman of the National Stakeholders Platform, Kenny Daniel said the thrust now is to create a Coconut Vendors Co-operative. “There’s not an organization that takes care of them, so they can be pushed and today they are pushed in one direction and next time they are pushed another way. So that’s one of the things I was looking at and because of that I said hey we need to form an association or a cooperative that can address your needs. And so far we are doing good as far as the cooperative is concerned. We have the bi-laws we have the registrar and his team on board. I must say that I was very surprised when I saw the amount of effort that they put into this whole cooperative development for the coconut vendors and stakeholders.”

 The European Union and CARIFORUM funded project received a further investment of 6 million euros to develop the region’s coconut industry in phase 2. Having commenced in 2019 Phase 2 of the project focuses on improving the competitiveness of farmers and strengthening the coconut value chain. Climate change, health and nutrition, increasing investments and value added product development will be emphasized. Daniel explained that Saint Lucia too will be intensifying efforts to boost the coconut industry from the raw products to agro processing and export. The platform will also be working with outside entities where possible in that vein. Some ventures include establishing MOU’s with land owners to grow coconut trees outside of Saint Lucia as well as the establishment of a venue dubbed “Tout Bagay Coco”.

Funded by the European Union, the project, which will run until 2023, will be implemented by International Trade Center (ITC) in partnership with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and other regional and national partners. The project also aims to enable the participating Caribbean states to capitalize on rapidly growing global demand for coconuts. The global trade in coconut water alone is projected to grow by more than 25 % in next five years.