The Taiwan Technical Mission, together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives and the Saint Lucia Marketing Board, hosted the official opening ceremony for the National Fresh Produce Packhouse. This event took place on Thursday 3rd December 2020 at the IRDC building in Odsan.

This National Fresh Produce Packhouse is the first of its kind in Saint. Lucia and also the Eastern Caribbean at large. Before the official opening, the packhouse was inspected by representatives from the Ministry of Health and ultimately passed the standards required with flying colors. Most importantly, the packhouse and the staff members at the Saint Lucia Marketing Board have been HACCP certified. This means that the facility will operate on international health and safety standards and higher post- harvesting processing requirements.

The pack house is a facility where fruit is received and processed prior to market distribution. The initiative forms part of a collaborative effort with the Taiwan Technical Mission and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and falls under the project titled the “Enhancement of the Efficiency of Production and Distribution Supply Chains in the Fruits and Vegetables Sector.” The aim of the production enhancement project is to reduce Saint Lucia’s food import bill.

Irrespective of the restrictions imposed on social gatherings due to the current climate of COVID-19 cases in St. Lucia, the organizers of this event did an exceptional job at executing this occurrence, ensuring that the necessary procedures mandated by the Ministry of Health were strictly adhered to.

Welcomed at the ceremony was a substantial number of stakeholders such as: Hon Ezechiel Joseph Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Cooperatives, His Excellency Peter Chia- Yen Chen Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to St. Lucia, Hon. Guy Joseph Parliamentary Representative for Castries South East and Minister for Economic Development, Housing Urban Renewal, Transport and Civil Aviation, Mr. Barrymore Felicien Permanent Secretary Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, Natural Resources and Co- operatives, Mr. Gregg Rawlins IICA Representatives in the Eastern Caribbean States, Mr. Emmanuel Clery Chairman St Lucia Marketing Board, Mr. Mario Cheng Chief Taiwan Technical Mission, Ms. Sunita Daniel CEO Export St Lucia, Mrs. Auria King Cenac Director of Agriculture.

The ceremony commenced with prayer by Mr. Kemuel Jn. Baptiste, Chief Extension Officer Department of Agriculture and proceeded with opening remarks by Mr. Emmanuel Clery, Chairman of the St. Lucia Marketing Board. Mr. Clery expressed his appreciation for this new venture and how pertinent the packhouse is to the development of the St. Lucia Marketing Board’s achievements. Ms. Sunita Daniel, the Executive Director for Export St. Lucia, in her remarks, also articulated on the pivotal impact this packhouse is expected to have on the agricultural industry, and how happy she is to witness the project to its completion.

Hon. Guy Joseph Parliamentary Representative for Castries South East and Minister for Economic Development ruminated on his days as a banana farmer and how the emphasis placed on diversification in those days, also applies to farmers today. The minister applauded the Taiwanese government for their meaningful contribution to the development of St. Lucia’s agricultural sector. He stressed on the point of view, that Agriculture is one of the key areas necessary for economic growth and believes that the National Fresh Produce Packhouse will add value to both foreign and local markets, hence, he encourages farmers to maximize and expand their agricultural production.

The Taiwan ambassador to St. Lucia, Peter Chen, stated that this occurrence is a transformational moment to be celebrated despite the unimaginable challenges imposed on us by the COVID-19 crisis. He stated that this project will assist many households in need and also strengthen the friendship between the people of Taiwan and St. Lucia.

The Minister of Agriculture, Hon Ezechiel Joseph, who is befittingly an active farmer himself, highlighted how this new facility will provide opportunities for producing healthy and quality products for both the local and export market. He proceeded to share his vision of utilizing the packhouse to implement a school feeding program that exposes students to locally grown products. By extension this will create a more reliable market to farmers since there are approximately over 24,000 students in St. Lucia. All in all, the minister believes that the packhouse and the upcoming programs that the government has in store will help restore confidence between the Saint Lucia Marketing Board and farmers. He looks forward to the positive impact these initiatives are expected to have on the agricultural industry.

After the vote of thanks was delivered by the Project Coordinator, Ms. Adline Eudovic, the crowd watched in anticipation and applauded as ambassador Chen, Hon Ezechiel Joseph and Hon Guy Joseph proudly unveiled the packhouse’s plaque and cut the ribbons that symbolized its official opening.