She explains that the demand for dasheen is high in these countries and local farmers will benefit from it.

“Then we visited Saint Martin, we visited Saint Croix, and the purpose of that visit was to explore markets for our farmers, and we were extremely pleased that wherever we went, there was a high demand for dasheen,” the Minister explained.

To improve the farmers’ produce, she says they will be given an injection of $1,500 per acre of dasheen cultivated. The Minister adds that the Ministry has already identified 12 farmers who will receive the injection.

“We've had some meetings with them. We've had up to about 40 farmers expressing their willingness to participate in the programme. We are providing $1, 500 for every acre of dasheen that is cultivated. We've gone onto the ground to see what is happening, and they've identified 12 farmers who are ready to receive that support.”

Agriculture Minister Alfred Prospere, on a separate occasion, said the Ministry is working to diversify the crop exports of farmers in the country due to the dwindling demand for green bananas.