IICA, St. Lucia Marketing Board explore strengthened Technical Cooperation

(IICA Press Release) While many farmers in Saint Lucia possess solid markets for their produce, many experience challenges in securing stable and profitable markets. More importantly, the country continues to import an estimated EC$4.5 million (US$1.67 million) annually. With this in mind, the restructuring and revised scope of the St. Lucia Marketing Board is seen as a critical move by the government of St. Lucia. As a result of this ongoing thrust, representatives of the Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) met with Mr. Amatus Edwards, Manager of the St. Lucia Marketing Board to discuss the proposed scope of the entity and explore avenues for future cooperation.

IICA was represented by Mr. Gregg Rawlins, IICA Representative in the Eastern Caribbean States, Mr. Allister Glean, International Specialist in Agribusiness and Value Chains and Mr. Brent Theophile, National Specialist in the Saint Lucia Delegation. IICA is no stranger to the work of the Marketing Board since the Institute in the person of Mr. Glean served on the team that was established to oversee the initial restructuring process of the Marketing Board and Fish Marketing Corporation which led to the closure of the Marketing Board and the privatization of the St. Lucia Fish Marketing Corporation. Operations at the Marketing Board were discontinued in March of 2019 but reopened in April 2019 with Mr. Edwards at the helm. The visit to the Marketing Board by the IICA team therefore sought to reaffirm the commitment of the Institute to enhancing food production and marketing in Saint Lucia.

Mr. Edwards stressed that in keeping with the vision of Mr. Ezekiel Joseph, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Cooperatives, one of the major thrusts of the Marketing Board will be the facilitation of exports from the island as well as ensuring more effective coordination of farmer production and marketing to meet the requirements of both domestic and export markets. Edwards further added that emphasis should be placed on establishing traceability systems which would contribute to improved food safety throughout the production-marketing chain.

Mr. Edwards stated “reducing the food import bill is of primary importance, and supporting the effective marketing of the farmers’ produce will see us addressing two key issues at once.”

IICA Representative in the ECS, Mr. Gregg Rawlins welcomed the efforts towards revisiting the role and primary function of the Marketing Board and indicated IICA’s commitment to support these efforts. He suggested that emphasis should be placed on achieving balance between developmental and commercial activities of the Marketing Board and filling gaps where these existed while minimizing competition with the established private sector. He also identified initiatives being spearheaded by the Delegation in Saint Lucia under the leadership of Mr. Brent Theophile, National Specialist and private sector interests to build online platforms for market information and intelligence as well as to facilitate e-commerce activities. Edwards welcomed the work of IICA in this area given that the restructured Marketing Board would be a 21st century marketing facilitation entity. Mr. Glean reinforced an earlier commitment by Mr. Rawlins to support the work of the Marketing Board. Glean stressed that it was clear the government of Saint Lucia had displayed the necessary leadership in the restructuring process. In addition, he added that with the appropriate resources, the Marketing Board would have the necessary impact.

Both parties agreed to regular engagements moving forward to support the restructuring and development process. Edwards welcomed the input of IICA and stressed that the Marketing Board would do its part to ensure that the marketing of farmers’ produce would be undertaken in an efficient and dynamic manner. More importantly, efforts would be pursued to earn foreign exchange and source overseas markets while reducing imports.

About IICA:

IICA is the specialized agency for agriculture in the Inter-American system, with a mission to encourage, promote and support its 34 Member States in their efforts to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being through international technical cooperation of excellence.

About the St. Lucia Marketing Board:

The Marketing Board was created in 1968, The Marketing Board was established to address deficiencies in produce marketing. Its main purpose was to stimulate agricultural production and facilitate the marketing of farm produce from farmers to consumers. The Marketing Board is currently being restructured.

Source: CARICOM TODAY