Commercializing Breadfruit for Food and Nutrition Security
The Saint Lucia Trade Export Promotion Agency (TEPA) received an invitation from the Faculty of Food and Agriculture of the University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine Campus, to participate in the International Congress on Breadfruit in Trinidad from July 06 – 10, 2015.
The conference/congress was convened by Dr. Laura Roberts Nkurmah (UWI), under the theme “Commercializing Breadfruit for Food and Nutrition Security”. The conference was hosted by the University of the West Indies and sponsored by PCS Nitrogen, The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations (FAO). Participants at this conference included the indentified groups below from the Caribbean, African and pacific countries/regions.
- Policy makers
- Health-related professionals
- Researchers
- Growers/ producers
- Food processors
- Traders
- Extension agents
- Business enterprises/entrepreneurs
- NGOs and community groups
- Consumers
- Tertiary-level students
Plenary sessions covered historical perspectives of breadfruit and agricultural policies, health and nutrition, breadfruit germplasm evaluation and plant propagation, production management, post harvest technology, breadfruit marketing and consumption, economics and value chain. Also included in the programme was a field trip and breadfruit exhibition.
A major highlight of the breadfruit symposium was the establishment of an International breadfruit network. The primary function of that network will be to share past and upcoming opportunities regarding breadfruit, its propagation, value added commodities, economic viability, marketability etc. The idea is to have some form of a synchronized approach towards the commercialization of breadfruit thereby ensuring its usage and maximizing its full benefits (nutritional and entrepreneurial).
