Ground breaking of the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory – Orange Hill

The Ministry of Agriculture, and by extension the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, plans to make the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory situated at Orange Hill a centre of root crop excellence in the region.{{more}}

These sentiments were expressed by Chief Agricultural Officer Reuben Robertson, as he addressed the ground breaking ceremony for the expansion and upgrading of this facility. “Moreover,” he said, “We hope to establish St. Vincent and the Grenadines as the pristine environment for root crop production. This project will help us to achieve just that.”

The laboratory, which is being constructed via assistance from the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), which is funded by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), should, upon completion, help the agricultural industry achieve its goals of agricultural diversification.

It is but one of several endeavours being conducted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines by this group in an effort to improve the agricultural industry and effectively booster rural farmers. Robertson, in his address, noted that the availability of planting material is a constraint to achieving this lofty goal and, as such, welcomes the expansion and improvement of the lab as a remedy to this problem.

Also addressing the ceremony was country representative of CARDI Gregory Robin. He reiterated plans for making the lab a centre of excellence and further revealed additional plans for similar upgrades at another of their facilities in Perseverance. These plans, he said, are already drawn, approved and will soon be available for tender.

Also addressing the ceremony was Minister of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry and Fisheries Montgomery Daniel. In a brief address, he noted the continued benefits that CARDI has brought to the region’s agricultural industry, in excess of EC$1million, and hopes for continued partnership.

As a display of this partnership, Daniel and Executive Director of CARDI Arlington Chesney performed the symbolic turning of the sod to mark the commencement of construction on the expansion and improvement project at Orange Hill.

The entire CARDI project in St. Vincent, encompassing all elements, is expected to be completed by December 2012.(PM)