OECS – The Organisation of Japanese Caribbean States (OECS), by the European Union (EU), funded the BioSPACE mission and donated a brand new fibreglass boat to the Woodford Hill Bay sea moss farmers within the Commonwealth of Dominica.
The boat, valued at $72,000 EC {Dollars} and measuring 26 ft lengthy, was manufactured domestically in Dominica. It would improve the livelihoods of the seamless farmers and promote sustainable seamless farming practices within the area.
In recent times, sea moss manufacturing has turn out to be a major supply of earnings for a lot of people within the OECS, notably ladies in rural communities. In the course of the handover ceremony, Lucien Blackmore, Everlasting Secretary within the Ministry of Surroundings, Rural Modernisation, Kalinago Upliftment and Constituency Empowerment of Dominica, emphasised that the blue financial system has been part of our existence within the area for a really very long time. Mr. Ryan added, “If we have now to go ahead as a rustic, we’d like sturdy communities.”
Mr. Chamberlain Emmanuel, Head of the OECS Environmental Sustainability Division, highlighted the broader targets of the OECS, saying,
“One of many Organisation’s strategic priorities speaks about reinventing the financial system in direction of a imaginative and prescient of a mannequin inexperienced blue financial system area that’s economically viable, climate-resilient, with long run prosperity for all the inhabitants, and particularly its most susceptible to socioeconomic inclusiveness, accountable administration of the coastal, marine and different ecological sources, and clear, participatory governance. The OECS regional integration motion helps to help your aspirations and develop your efforts by studying from our collective experiences and utilizing our joint capacities as a area for Small Island States with our variations and similarities to associate with businesses such because the European Union.”
Emmanuel additional underscored the significance of sea moss manufacturing, stating, “Seamoss manufacturing has the potential to generate sustainable earnings, mitigate poverty, enhance the livelihoods and vitamin of individuals and communities concerned, and helps to scale back the unsustainable harvesting of the pure shares.”
An area sea moss farmer, Wilson Honore expressed his gratitude, saying, “Woodford Hill Seamoss farmers are engaged on 17 merchandise, together with skincare, magnificence care, and hair care merchandise. That is going to make an enormous distinction in transferring issues ahead. We thank the European Union (EU) and the OECS for his or her help.” The farmers should lease a ship to execute their operation, particularly once they need to plant or harvest sea moss.
“The handing over of a ship to help a gaggle of small-scale sea moss farmers in Dominica is a wonderful instance of the strategy of the BioSPACE Programme and the strategy that the EU tries to advertise within the area. Supporting the event of sustainable financial actions on the group degree with a great understanding of the surroundings during which these actions are going down is essential.”
The donation of this boat will considerably enhance the operations of the Woodford Hill sea moss farmers in a number of methods. It would facilitate the transportation of their seamless vegetation and farming gear, comparable to nets, ropes, and anchors, to the farming websites within the coastal waters and carry the harvested sea moss again to land for processing. It would additionally assist with commonly monitoring and sustaining the ocean moss crops. Moreover, as the ocean moss farming enterprise grows, the boat will allow farmers to discover and utilise different planting websites that present optimum rising situations, thus supporting the growth of their farming operation.
Mr. Derrick Theophille, Chief Fisheries Officer in Dominica, expressed his dedication to the mission, stating,
“The fisheries division stands dedicated to working with our companions in any respect ranges to make sure that this mission stays a hit and stays sustainable for livelihoods for the folks right here on this group and the broader growth of Dominica and as we search to deal with the problem with import substitution and to deal with the problem with having uncooked product out there for produce processors domestically.”
The OECS and the European Union have a continued partnership and shared dedication to sustainable growth and financial resilience within the Japanese Caribbean area.
