Business View Caribbean | February 2021

51 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN FEBRUARY 2021 CAR I BBEAN AGR I CULTURE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INST I TUTE (CARDI ) to identify the farmers as part of the essential workforce, and that recommendation was accepted by the Conference of Governments, allowing farmers to get back to the business of production. “On the other hand, because of the fallout from the loss of the tourism sector, we found that we had some surpluses, such as produce that tourists would normally consume. As a result, the Caribbean governments put some initiatives in place to facilitate trade within the region, within their own domestic spaces. Allowing for some of the primary material to go into food products, so they extend the opportunities for the farmers. The government made available storage facilities for some of those commodities and assured there were no issues with price gouging. In addition, the consuming public were afforded the opportunity that their supply chain was not disrupted, as it relates to what could be produced in the domestic market.” Training women bakers in Antigua to make composite bread using sweet potato and cassava flours. CARDI continues to work to provide coconut seedlings to farmers as part of the Industry’s rebuilding efforts.