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Six containers of root crops will be exported weekly.
Six containers of root crops will be exported weekly.
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As part of the diversification of the agricultural sector, the Ministry of Agriculture has signed a memorandum of understanding with Winfresh for the export of six 40-foot containers of root crops to the United Kingdom weekly.

A three-member team from Winfresh, including its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bernard Cornibert, Procurement Officer Phil Collins and Purchasing and Logistic Manager Cuthbert Joseph visited St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) on a two-day mission, which wrapped up today.

Minister of Agriculture Saboto Caesar said the visit shows the commitment of both the Government and Winfresh to increasing the exports of agricultural produce to the UK.

Caesar said both parties are cognizant that market access is critical for growth in the agricultural sector.

He noted that visits will be made to several dasheen, sweet potato and ginger farmers as a part of the effort to create the farmer base necessary to facilitate the export to the UK.

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Local agro-processing company Vincyfresh Ltd. is a subsidiary of Winfresh Ltd.

Zuleika Lewis
Mobalization Officer
Ministry of Agriculture 

5 replies on “SVG to export 40ft containers of root crops to the UK”

  1. As usual, low production levels, poor produce quality, inadequate handling and storage, and competition from low-cost producers in West Africa, Latin America, and Asia will doom this project.

  2. Good thought but knowing the reputation of Saboto Caesar and this government I will wait until the container is offloaded in England and the provisions have pass all necessary tests before I comment. They have failed too many times. I was thinking too that we have to wait on argyle airport to send goods to the UK. I am waiting and watching.

  3. Election time in the air, we are going to hear about all kinds of plans. Keep the plans coming fellas don’t be afraid, for years people suffering, but as soon as election coming all kinda plans. And as soon as election done, all plans are scrapped and people are back to suffering. Not this time.

    OWN THE JAIL

  4. One of the problems we have in SVG is that we have so many inexperienced people running around trying to put deals together, what they are doing is frightening.

    6 X 40′ containers will carry up to 132 tons depending how it is packed. About a 100 tons if the produce is packed in export box’s,

    So that is perhaps 5000 tons a year from virtually stand still. The grading will be important and they will need to grow 10,000 to 15,000 tons of produce before grading. There will then be 5 to 10, 000 tons of lower grade to try and absorb into the Caribbean markets. I think they just haven’t thought it through, or it’s another set of lies.

    The market in the UK is usually flooded with root crop from West & East Africa. Because of the Eboli epidemic the UK importers have more or less stopped importing from West Africa. There is a big gap, which unfortunately all our competitors now know about.

    The Chinese produce over a 80 million tons a year, half of which is used as animal feed.

    In 2009 the UK imported about 39,000 tons of sweet potato. The US grow about a million tons annually and traditionally export to the UK superb quality, tubers‘.

    I just hope and pray that they don’t wind the Vincentian farmers up to overproduce one or two items, only to see the whole thing collapse when the West African suppliers kick back in again. They have a supply and prices that we will never be able compete with.

    Remember the fish and vegetables that we had a weekly order from the US? Well they sent a consignment and that’s all gone boss-eyed. Another disaster, I heard they didn’t get paid.

    I wrote in the first sentence “what they are doing is frightening”. They have not currently got the product and quantity to ship, but have told the whole Caribbean and South America what we are doing. They are so looking for red star points for the electioneering process that they shoot their mouth off and alert competitors who may well have the produce available now.

    For goodness sake can someone stick some Duct/Gaffer tape over the mouths of these silly inexperienced little boys.

  5. Here We Go Again says:

    Here we go again, another big announcement of promise and 4 months down the road we can’t get an update of what was actually shipped.
    How much fish were we suppose to be exporting weekly again?
    How much catttle were we suppose to be exporting weekely again?
    How much arrowrooot were we suppose to be exporting weekly again?

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