ON Wednesday, February 7, 2024, approximately twenty (20) farmers and extension officers across the island participated in an informative cabbage training session on the Union Demonstration Farm.
The training was a collaboration between the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development, under the “Enhancement of the Efficiency in the Production-Distribution Supply Chain of the Fruit and Vegetable Sector (Seven Crops Project)”.
The farmers were educated on the general production of cabbages in Saint Lucia: the best husbandry practices to apply during the life cycle, pest and disease management, the most ideal time of the year for cultivation to reduce pest infestation, and the most suitable temperatures for growing cabbages for optimum harvests.
Additionally, they were enlightened on the practice of flood irrigation techniques when cultivating cabbages. This practice, although it is not very commonly used in Saint Lucia in cabbage production, has the overall benefit of good harvesting results and saves the farmer time and money.
The farmers who were present at the training were both those who currently cultivate cabbages and those who have a keen interest in the production although they currently grow other crops. The Summer Autumn variety gave the best performance among the three varieties, and, therefore, the farmers were all given seeds from that variety to try out themselves.
The training was facilitated by Eric Chen, the Production Specialist on the Seven Crops Project.
If you’re interested in participating in training, please contact the Taiwan Technical Mission office at 1 (758) 450-2084 or your extension officers for more information.
SOURCE: Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) in Saint Lucia