Business View Caribbean | Volume 9, Issue 1

4 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1 D This collaboration will help us to improve our implementation on the ground, scale up and help us align our policies in the region to support farmer organisations, and to expand coconut production and commercialisation improve our implementation on the ground, scale up and help us align our policies in the region to support farmer organisations, and to expand coconut production and commercialisation. We are very sure that this will help us to reduce the risk of investing in value chains by collaborating with policymakers, buyers, financial institutions, and other organisations that will help to increase the capacity of smallholder farmers. We continue to pledge our support to continue promoting integrated value chains into the Caribbean.” The ITC and CARDI have combined their efforts to implement the project, ‘Alliances for Coconut Industry Development Expansion and Enhanced Support for the Caribbean.’ This project aims to enhance the competitiveness of small-scale farmers in coconut value chains through better local, regional, and global market integration and production performance. The institutions are implementing the project under the Alliances for Action model which promotes inclusive and sustainable agricultural value chains while ensuring compliance with environmental, economic, and social requirements. A key objective of the Coconut Project is the creation and reinforcement of food safety standards and strengthening of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) and quality compliance systems. Financed by the European Union under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Programme, with oversight by the CARIFORUM Directorate, Phase 2 of the project ends in 2023. Ansari Hosein, Manager, Science, Technology and Innovation, CARDI explained, “The course of action being pursued today will maximise the use of resources that are made available by preventing duplication of activities. We look forward to this alliance which identifies clear opportunities for synergies between projects to deliver real action and real results to the agricultural communities of this region, so that in time we can speak of this alliance in the context of being a true success story which