Friday, June 23, 2006

Errol Watler, President of the Agricultural Society.

IF all goes well and according to plan Grand Cayman could have a farmer/vendor market this October in Lower Valley, according to the Cayman Islands Agricultural Society.

President of the Agricultural Society Errol Watler said Government and his organisation are fine-tuning plans to have  the market ready in three to four months.

"We're undertaking a three-prong approach in making the market a success for the farmers and vendors," he said.

Mr Watler explained that the Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Society have been collaborating to give the Island its first full time market.

"We have to get on our feet and move forward for Cayman agriculture to improve," he told a meeting of the society at the Stacy Watler Pavilion in Lower Valley on Monday 19 June.

He said the market could be a Saturday or Sunday affair and that decision rested with the farmers and arts and crafts vendors who service their customers on the grounds of the pavilion.

According to him, farmers will sell their fresh meat, fruits and other produce while vendors will offer for sale locally made products on the site.

There are also opportunities for artisans and cooked food stalls to share the facilities with the farmers and vendors, he said.

He said the venue would be a source of cheaper prices and better food quality, saying that consumers risk their lives buying from other venues that may contain produce grown on fertiliser. 

The society, which will be administering the market, also plans to schedule mini-agricultural shows, workshops and demonstrations for farmers to maximise the use of the area. 

Discussions are underway with many skilled and culturally in-tuned Caymanians to make the market as traditional as possible.

Marketing strategies, he said, were being developed by the organisers, which will see a massive media campaign and the jump-start of agricultural tourism.

Mr Watler noted that the Chamber of Commerce would be an important player in the scheme of things and they would be brought onboard in the project.

He added that, "all stakeholders and the general public must play their part for the success of the market." 

Although it is highly concentrating on the establishment of the market, the society is targeting farmers for skills development workshops and farm enhancement programmes.

One of the participants at Monday's meeting urged the society to pool the skills and talents of its members and utilise them to raise the quality and quantity in Cayman agriculture.

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