St Vincent and the Grenadines continues to receive support for the development of its agro-tourism product from the Organisation of the American States (OAS).{{more}}

On October 18, close to 20 persons were trained in the various disciplines of good agricultural practices (GAP), as it relates to the production and preparation of foods for exportation and consumption.

The training was conducted by Ezra Ledger, Director of the Bureau of Standards, who focused on Technical Barriers to Trade Agreements and SPS or Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreements of the WTO.

According to Ledger, the training was designed to expose those involved in the production of food and food products to the requirements of GAP and other food safety regulations. He stated that although SVG is a signatory to the international agreements governing international trade, and has access to the markets presented worldwide, it does not have direct entry into the country importing. This can only be achieved when “we demonstrate our ability to conform to the practices that ensure food and food products offered for sale and consumption are produced in a manner that conform to the measures outlined in the many GAPs that exist globally.” The production and preparation methods must include a number of safety measures and conditions outlined for producing safe and healthy foods.

Renato Gumbs, Senior Agricultural Officer, who was responsible for organizing the session, said that this was the first, with others to follow and that the recipients are expected to impart the knowledge gained to their co-workers and the clientele they serve.

Participants included agricultural officers, plant quarantine officials, plant tissue culture technicians and representatives of VINCYFRESH, the agro-processing plant at Lauders.