EU Ambassador Tours Community College’ Food Lab

The Ambassador of the European Union to Barbados and Ambassador Designate to the Eastern Caribbean States, Fiona Ramsey, conducted a walk through of the newly established Food Science Laboratory at the

Technical and Vocational Division of the St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Technical College in Arnos Vale, on October 28, 2025.

The facility, constructed at a value of €925,496.29 (EC$2.875M), was executed by O. B. Sadoo Limited of St Lucia and supervised by the SVG National Authorising Officer (NAO) Support Unit.

The Economic Planning Division within the Ministry of Finance said in a release that the project is a collaborative effort between the Government of SVG through the Agricultural Development and Modernization Programme (BAM-ADMP), and the European Union (EU) under the Banana Accompanying Measures (BAM) initiative.

It said the state-of-the-art Food Science Laboratory forms part of the government’s continued investment in modernising the agricultural sector and encouraging youth participation through education and entrepreneurship. It serves as a core facility for delivering the Associate’s Degree in Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship at the (SVGCC), and is designed to strengthen the technical and scientific training available to students pursuing careers in agribusiness.

In her remarks, Ambassador Ramsey said: “The EU is proud to contribute in the first place to the development of skills each single student need to succeed in their professional lives, in addition to creating new opportunities in the food sector, in the country and abroad.

“By investing in skills development and creativity, the European Union is helping the next generation turn potential into opportunity- driving growth and innovation in the food sector in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and beyond. This come timely as there is growing interest to trade in food between St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the European Union”.

The laboratory initiative is also being supported by the University of Guelph (Canada), which is providing teacher training and laboratory equipment to ensure the facility’s smooth operationalisation.

The investment not only enhances teaching and research capacity but is expected to positively impact access to agricultural markets, promote small-scale agribusiness development, and generate employment opportunities, particularly in rural areas, the release outlines.

Construction works commenced in August, 2022 and was completed in August, 2023. Oversight was provided by the NAO Support Unit.