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Posted: Saturday 26 June, 2010 at 9:18 AM

Domestic produce dazzles at “Eat Local” day

Agriculture Marketing Officer Al Edwards
By: Melissa Bryant, SKNVibes.com

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LOCAL farmers flaunted their best and juiciest produce on Friday (June 25) at Independence Square as part of the Ministry of Agriculture’s annual “Eat Local” exhibition.

     

    Booths of locally-grown fruits, vegetables and meats shared the stage with those of snacks, jams and dishes made entirely from locally-produced foodstuff.

     

    The exhibition was livened by a sound system playing hits by local musicians, and featured a stall devoted to homegrown artistes.

     

    Speaking to SKNVibes, Agriculture Marketing Officer Al Edwards said the event, now in its fourth year, was the ministry’s attempt to heighten the national focus on food security.

     

    “We want people to begin asking if they can feed themselves for three days, a week, or a month. Our objective is to get them thinking about eating local, and its health and economic benefits.”

     

    Although he admitted that the Federation was generally an importing nation, Edwards noted there was room for improvement in the consumption of local produce.

     

    Tomatoes, carrots and cabbage were identified as the most popular items, whereas the local meats and ground provisions were “more or less” ignored.

     

    The ministry official described the public response as “wonderful” and “overwhelming”, deeming the rabbit meat, a dish of beef prepared in Guinness Stout and the display of local wines as the day’s highlights.

     

    “Every year when we have the exhibition, we get feedback that we should do it more often. But our “eat local” push doesn’t start and stop here, we also reach out to the private sector to get businesses on board.

     

    “We reach out to restaurants to prepare local meals on this day and we’re also in constant contact with them about using local produce in their menus. It’s an ongoing process in relation to the services industry but, as it relates to the general public, this is our major event,” Edwards said.

     

    According to Edwards, the ministry’s next step would be facilitating the traditional post-exhibition surge in demand for local items.

     

    It will then partner with the St. Kitts Investment Promotion Agency for a display at the Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino next week.

     

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