Nearly forty farmers from across Saint Lucia on Tuesday, September 13 benefited from a demonstration hosted by the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) on how to plant, care for, and market eggplant. The two-hour demonstration was held at the TMM’s demonstration farm in Union, Castries, where experts from the TTM shared crucial information with farmers, including answering the many questions they asked. Also present at the demonstration were staffers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development, Massy Stores, and Saint Lucia Marketing Board. On display were eight species of eggplant sourced from the nearby plot that farmers got to witness firsthand how to care and manage the crop. Participants also got to take home some of the varieties on display to prepare and were asked to give feedback. Eric Chen, Production Specialist at the Taiwan Technical Mission, said the Taiwan Technical Mission is trying to reduce the high importation of fruits and vegetables into Saint Lucia so as to shrink the island’s high food import bill. Chen said many farmers and consumers do not know how to prepare eggplant, which is why a special event will be hosted in Constitution Park in Castries on September 27 to demonstrate how to prepare eggplant in various ways.

  Caribbean, Saint Lucia, St Lucia