Agro-processors in Grenada strengthened their capacity to extend the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables of commercial importance
Grenada, July 16, 2018: The IICA Delegation in Grenada collaborated with the IICA-Canada 2018 Research and Internship Assistance Programme and conducted a two-day Agro-processing Workshop for small-scale processors and entrepreneurs with emphasis on local fruits and vegetables of commercial importance.
Part of the group trained in Grenada
The Grenada Agri-Business Expo of 2017 would have elevated the profiles of the various agricultural sectors as possible career opportunities and encouraged youth and entrepreneurs to establish their own businesses. Growth in the agro-processing sector is dependent, in part, on the strength of the technical capacity of those who are already engaged and also new entrants.
The objective of this workshop was to strengthen the technical capacity of small-scale agro-processors and entrepreneurs on how best to prepare local fruits and vegetables of commercial importance.
A total of 17 agro-processors and entrepreneurs, including women and youth, participated in the two-day Workshop at the Grenada Produce Chemist Laboratory on July 12 and 13, 2018. The Workshop took the form of hands-on training as well as classroom style instructions. The processes of extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables and the types of equipment and tools needed to transform such fruits and vegetables were the emphasis of the Workshop.
The instructor for this two-day instructive Workshop was Dr Donald Mercer, a food scientist from the University of Guelph, Canada. His focus was on dehydration because this process increases the shelf life of the product. Participants were also exposed to the practical aspects of blanching, a process of inactivating some of the enzymes that cause spoilage in fruits and vegetables.
Extending the shelf life of foods has been a challenge among agro-processors in the cottage industry in Grenada and this Workshop would have complemented some of the preparatory and awareness actions during the period leading up to the Agri-business Expo of 2017.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Mr Elvis Morain, remarked that one of the ways of fixing Grenada’s non-communicable diseases problem was to fix agriculture by producing more local high quality foods. This should start by supplying the schools with healthy foods including locally produced snacks and beverages.
Derek Charles, National Specialist at the IICA Grenada Delegation, stated that every year around this time mangoes and other fruits are in abundance and most of them go to waste, much to the frustration of the farmers and the public. This Workshop will help put this right by strengthening the capacity of agro-processors to transform such fruits using appropriate technologies gained at the workshop.
The participants have undertook to commence retooling their organisations with small dryers and to strengthen their members’ capacity to transform fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste, into products that will realize much needed incomes for their rural families.