Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 15, 2014 (SKNIS): Vegetable, fruit and upland crops in St. Kitts and Nevis are receiving several components designed to improve quality and safety thanks to the first disbursement of just over US$324,000.00 from the Government of the Republic of China (ROC) – Taiwan.
In addition to the training of technicians and farmers the funds will also ensure the construction of several facilities. These would include soil fertility analysis and pesticide residue detection laboratories as well as a compost demonstration site.
These actions fall under the Vegetable, Fruit and Upland Crop Quality and Safety Improvement Project which came into being with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on March 14, 2014. The MOU was signed by St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Agriculture Honourable Nigel Carty and ROC – Taiwan’s Resident Ambassador His Excellency Miguel Le-Jey Tsao.
The project is expected to last for four years up until December 31, 2017 with total funding of just under US$3.2 million. The ROC Government will provide US$2,468,723 while the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis will supply the equivalent of US$723,000.
In attendance at the June 25, handing over ceremony for the first disbursement of funds was His Excellency Miguel Tsao, Minister Carty, Project Manager Chang-Ching-Ching Yeh “Fernando” along with representatives from the Taiwanese Embassy and the Ministry of Agriculture.