SAINT LUCIA’S Minister for Agriculture, Ezechiel Joseph, believes the National Diagnostic Facility, soon to be constructed at Union, is critical to the development and success of the island’s agriculture sector.
Joseph has been integrally involved in the EU funded ATP-BAM Programme from inception. He was the Minister of Agriculture Back in 2010 and guided development of the National Adaptation Strategy for St. Lucia which resulted in Saint Lucia becoming a beneficiary of the programme.
Now in his second stint as Minister of Agriculture, Joseph is elated to preside over the implementation of the ATP-BAM Programme. According to Minister Joseph, back in 2010, the initial amount requested for BAM was over the 10.3 million Euros allocated for Saint Lucia. The idea then was to support banana production and productivity while simultaneously transforming the agricultural sector, noting that “at the time, our banana production was at a level that would allow us to realize that contribution from the EU.”
However, when the Agreement was signed, the focus was on diversification and transformation of the agricultural sector. In addition, recent declines in the value of the Euro have further reduced the funds available for implementation of projects under ATP-BAM.
Minister Joseph notes that the site of the National Diagnostic Facility was once earmarked for construction of the headquarters of WINFRESH. The plan at the time was to refurbish the old WINBAN Laboratory in Roseau, to house the diagnostic facility.
Joseph says the idea of a National Diagnostic Facility has been with him from as far back as when he worked with the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) Agriculture Division as a Farm Manager. Relaying an actual incident, he said: “What we experienced at the time is that the shells of our eggs were cracking. We had to send the feed that was being fed to our layers to Trinidad to be tested for nutritional deficiencies but the results were made available way after the damage was done.
“As a country, if we are serious about agricultural development, a Diagnostic Facility is critical, and necessary, to give support to our farmers and to position us for export of agricultural products and services. I am happy that after so many years, we are here today to signal the commencement of construction of this facility.”
Despite the many challenges and significant decreases in banana production levels and exports, Joseph maintains that “the banana industry is critical to our agricultural development and as a government, we will do all within our power to achieve production levels which could impact positively on rural communities.”
The Agriculture Minister recognized the efforts of all those who have contributed to making the National Diagnostic Facility a reality. He had special praise for personnel of the Ministry of Agriculture as well as the Office of the NAO for surmounting the challenges and making Saint Lucia a model of good project implementation under the EU’s ATP-BAM Programme.
Minister Joseph notes that quite apart from the physical structure and equipment, it is critical to staff the facility with the requisite trained personnel. In that regard, he said, an assessment of the human resource needs of the facility must be undertaken as a matter of priority, to avoid any undue delays in operationalizing the project when it is completed.
“This facility is very much needed to really give support to farmers and persons involved in agriculture. We had a lab before in Roseau, but that Lab focussed mainly on research for the banana industry. As the sector has grown, there is need for further support to farmers, especially our livestock farmers. That is why we as a government felt the need for that type of facility. Based on discussions with the EU, the Diagnostic Facility was included under the Research and Technology Component of the BAM Programme for St. Lucia.”
In late June, Minister Joseph, undertook an official visit to Martinique to explore closer collaboration and cooperation in agriculture and other areas. Based on his discussions with President of the Regional Council of Martinique, Serge Letchimy, the Minister says there are lots of opportunities for bilateral cooperation between Saint Lucia and Martinique.
He said the awarding of the contract to build the Diagnostic Facility to TRAYVIS of Martinique should give added impetus to efforts towards functional cooperation between Saint Lucia and the neighbouring French Isle.
Banana Accompanying Measures – BAM – is funded by the European Union (EU) under the Agricultural Transformation Programme – ATP. BAM is intended to support adaptation processes to mitigate against further erosion of the preferential margins for ACP banana producers and to help ACP countries adjust to the new trade realities. Caribbean countries benefitting from the BAM Programme are Belize, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Suriname.
