IT is not known what the points of agreement were at the end of talks Tuesday between the Government of St. Lucia and Winfresh, the country’s sole exporter of bananas to foreign markets or whether there were any points of agreement for that matter. But whatever the case is, any move by the government to source new markets for local banana growers will not be done without Winfresh’s knowledge.
Prime Minister Allen Chastanet and Agriculture Minister Ezechiel Joseph were at one in that regard as they attempted to calm whatever fears Winfresh may have about government’s intention to source markets in the French territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“We will not engage in any activity that will compete with Winfresh,” Joseph said.
“Winfresh is our company. Winfresh is our organization. Whatever we are doing we need to bring Winfresh on board. We need to see how we can collaborate with Winfresh and not create an environment where we are competing with Winfresh,” Joseph said.
As the sole vendor of bananas to overseas markets, any talk of sourcing new ones by government could be mistaken as a move to bypass Winfresh and give farmers direct access to the new markets. It is this drift in thought that the government is attempting to squash.
“We do not see this as a competition. We see this as an additional opportunity for Winfresh,” Joseph said, adding that more markets mean more fruit sold which in turn would lead to more fruit being grown.
“We are engaging Winfresh for them to tap into that market,” Joseph said.
The two government leaders have been meeting with officials of the French countries since shortly after assuming office two months ago, seeking to revitalize the agriculture sector in the country, with a special focus on the banana industry.
“We are developing a programme to look at how we can give support to our farmers to get them back into production. It’s called the Banana Rehab Programme,” Joseph said.
Included in that programme is the sourcing of new markets for local bananas, which government hopes would lead to greater production of the crop at the local level and the continuation of the provison of inputs for farmers to assist them in improving their productivity.
Both Chastanet and Joseph reported that they were able to get a commitment from the Moroccan government to continue supplying local farmers with fertilizers.
They reported that this was important as the level of banana production in the country does not allow farmers to be competitive.
Efforts to get Winfresh’s perspective on the move by government to source new markets for local bananas have been futile, as all queries had to be directed to Bernard Cornibert, Winfresh’s Chief Executive Officer who we were told left for the United Kingdom shortly after Tuesday’s meeting.
Chastanet said that last week’s trip to London, Morocco and Paris was fruitful especially their meeting with the people responsible for the distribution of bananas in the French countries.
The government, for the moment, has chosen not to provide more details of their plans for the revitalization of the banana industry, especially French market component until all is settled with Winfresh.
