With the operationalisation of the multipurpose packhouses soon to come on stream in Roseau and Portsmouth, the Ministry of trade is working to enhance the trade of fresh produce in Dominica.
Hon. Minister for Trade, Ian Douglas, says his Ministry’s goal is to ensure that produce exported from Dominica meet international standards.
He says the Ministry is working with the Bureau of Standards to develop several farm certification programmes, a national code for good agricultural practices and several quality management system manuals for farmers.
Twenty individuals have also been trained as Fresh Produce Inspectors to work on both the farms and at the multipurpose packhouses.
He says these packhouses will put an end to the haphazard way of exporting fresh produce.
“We have secured $1m in funds from the European Union to purchase more lab equipment for the Bureau of Standard’s National Centre for Testing Excellency up at Stockfarm. That will ensure that our export of fresh produce meets the market standard. We are dealing with it on a number of levels and we are putting systems in place to ensure that get in the multipurpose packhouses, the kind of produce that we desire,” he said.
