Saint Lucia’s premium bananas pioneer export to Canada

For the first time, the National Fair-Trade Organisation sent its first load of premium bananas from Saint Lucia to Canada

This was a step taken as part of CARICOM’s 25 by 25 plan to lower the rate of imports and boost exports in the Caribbean. The goal is to make the countries more self-sufficient so that they can make more money from their own goods and help the people who live there.

Saint Lucia is a small island country in the Caribbean with unique plants, animals, and lush green jungles. The bananas are very famous in the country, and only farmers from that country can grow them because they have the most up-to-date methods. Farmers from all over the island come together at festivals like Taste Saint Lucia and Export Saint Lucia to show off the rarest kinds of bananas you can’t find anywhere else.

To begin October 2024, Taste of Saint Lucia was held, and 60 local manufacturers and tourist leaders, such as hoteliers, restaurant owners, and bartenders, participated. The farmers could talk to the leaders and show off their different goods, especially bananas, which was a good deal for the guests and the local business community.

Over four days, over 200 people from Latin America, the Caribbean, and around the world came to the Taste of Saint Lucia to try food from different countries.

Notably, on October 18, 2024, Saint Lucia also sent its best dasheen, which was made in Fond St. Jacques. It has successfully entered the international market after makers received requests from all over the world at the Taste of Saint Lucia event. The success was a big deal for the country’s exporters because it would help farms and manufacturers.

The partnership was also made so Saint Lucia’s goods, especially dasheen and bananas, could be exported. The goal is to create long-term possibilities.