The Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour last week initiated a project to recapture local knowledge of fruit preservation with the hosting of the “Preserving Fruits and Vegetables using Solar Drying” workshop at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC).

Twenty-five participants, many of whom are local farmers, recently concluded a week-long workshop where they will learn the methods, benefits and ways of preserving fruits, vegetables and herbs.

During the opening ceremony HLSCC Vice President Dr. Karl Dawson imparted the relevance of such a workshop in preserving and conserving the Territory’s food supply.

“As we are challenged to find answers globally to food problems, this workshop presents an opportunity to help us to find out how to get the most out of our crops,” Dr. Dawson stated.

Human Resources Manager in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour Ronald Berkeley encouraged participants to take advantage of such workshops wherein they can help to further develop the agriculture industry.

“The more we do locally, the better it will be for all of us.  I am sure you will concur that the locally grown food is much healthier and even though it might seem insignificant, we can reduce our import bill,” he said.

Agricultural Officer, Abdul Shabazz, who also chaired the opening ceremony, spoke of the reasons for the implementation of the workshop.

“In our legacy we came from an industry after the era of the sugar plantation where we live from the land and preserves like jams and jellies were part of our daily life,” the chairman said.

“A generation lost that trend in our culture as far as preserving and knowing what to do with our fruits so we began a series of workshops for us to regain the knowledge of what to do with our fruits,” Abdul added.

The workshop was aimed at transferring techniques on how to preserve local fruits and vegetables using the solar drying method. Participants will also be taught how to market their products, including pricing, good presentation techniques, packaging and labelling. Workshop facilitator is Dr. Anthony Richards, manager of the HLSCC’s Marine Centre laboratories

The workshop, which is a collaborative effort of the Department of Agriculture and the HLSCC, is the third part in a series on “Building our Agricultural Industry.” In 2006, the department held a “Preserving our Jams and Jellies” workshop, followed by a “Marketing Your Product” workshop in 2007.

The Ministry of Natural Resources through the Department of Agriculture seeks to enhance the agricultural development within the Territory while promoting the sustainable growth of agricultural production.  The department aims to be the main catalyst for sustainable production through training, adopting appropriate technology and providing resourceful information and services.

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