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Citing the problem Saint Lucia faces concerning meals safety, Agriculture Minister Alfred Prospere has reiterated his concern in regards to the Island’s excessive meals import invoice.
“We’ve got to do one of the best we will to cut back it drastically. I consider we will do it,” Prospere informed reporters on Monday on the sidelines of a Cupboard assembly.
“I do know we will do it, and I do know as soon as we have interaction our farmers, and we give the farmers the assist that they want we can scale back that,” the Minister asserted.
Prospere spoke within the wake of a sea moss competition his Ministry organised in reference to World Meals Day.
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He mentioned it was a chance to carry collectively people who manufacture sea moss by-products.
“We noticed fairly quite a lot of individuals producing numerous merchandise however these individuals, in my dialogue with them, I may inform that there are many challenges by way of requirements, packaging, promotion and actually quite a lot of them have simply began by producing these merchandise at residence,” Prospere noticed.
Nonetheless, he disclosed that he needs to see these merchandise on grocery store cabinets.
“It’s one factor to do it at residence, however the subsequent stage is for us to have the ability to see it on the grocery store cabinets,” Prospere informed reporters.
He additionally spoke of the necessity to export the by-products.
The Minister mentioned he was involved that Saint Lucia produces quite a bit and sells its merchandise overseas, the place they endure processing and return to native grocery store cabinets on the market.
“If now we have the potential of constructing it occur right here, I feel it’s going to be a giant increase for the agro-processing sub-sector,” he defined.
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