NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (JULY 21, 2014) –The Department of Agriculture through its Propagation Unit, has been working tirelessly to provide residents of Nevis with healthy fruits and a variety of exotic fruit trees through their Propagation Programme.
Forestry Officer in the Department of Agriculture, Floyd Liburd made that disclosure at the first annual Mango Madness Festival, when he spoke to the Department of Information. The event was hosted in Charlestown by the Nevis Tourism Authority in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture on July 11, 2014.
“We at the Agriculture Department and particularly at the Propagation Unit, are trying to propagate as much fruit trees as possible, so as to have spread around the island different fruits, whether its local or exotic fruits. I know we have a fruit by the name of Pitaya or Dragon Fruit that’s one we want to propagate.
“We want to make sure from the Agriculture Department, that fruits are available for consumption, good healthy fruits for our people of Nevis. People are more health conscious so these are the type of things we want to get involved in, having [a wide variety of] fruit trees available for sale, having certain plots [of land] available so persons can come and look at different techniques used, different growing patterns.
“We are well on our way to develop the fruit industry in Nevis and to ensure that everyone…would have an opportunity to have a piece of fruit on the island of Nevis,” he said.
Liburd appealed to the general public to assist with the propagation programme, by providing access to the local Tangerine and Shaddock trees which had disappeared from the local market.
“I am appealing to the public. We are looking and we are searching long and hard, to get some tangerine. Tangerine has gone missing and we can’t seem to find any local Tangerine around… also the Shaddock.
“If persons in the public would have a Shaddock tree or a Tangerine, a good eating Tangerine, a good eating Shaddock, we are asking you to come forward so we could air layer that plant. Some could be given back to that person and the others we could offer for sale, so as to spread that around because in my view, the Shaddock and tangerine are going extinct or almost extinct so we’re trying to revive those,” he said.
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