THE Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives through the Banana Productivity Improvement Project (BPIP) in collaboration with National Fair-trade Organisation (NFTO), Export Saint Lucia, and Winfresh, held a training session on Fruit Quality Control last month. The training initiative was put together as a result of repeated reports of quality issues from the marketing company Winfresh. The training was held at La Caye IRDC, Dennery on Thursday September 26, 2019 from 10:00 a.m.
Officials from Winfresh provided the participants with an overview of the marketing situation as it relates to St Luciaās bananas, delving into quality concerns and issues. There was also a practical session where Winfresh officials provided the specifications for the various pack types and demonstrated proper packing procedures. Taiwanese Banana Production Expert Johnson Wu indicated that by following the specifications strictly, quality issues would be reduced significantly.
Forty participants including extension officers, inspectors and farmers, benefited from this training. The Taiwan Technical Mission, BPIP, NFTO, Export Saint Lucia, and Winfresh will work together in the near future to conduct training with banana farmers in all the banana producing areas relevant for St Lucia. The Taiwan Technical Mission continues to support banana farmers by providing the required assistance in an effort to meet the desired quality.