Barbados: CDB supports sweet potato value chain project

(MENAFN - Caribbean News Global) BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CDB) – Enhancing food security and agricultural productivity are at the root of a new project, which seeks to improve the production, processing and marketing of sweet potato in the Caribbean region. A US$600,000-grant from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) will fund the research and capacity building initiative. With the estimated total cost of the project set to be US$810,000 CDB's funding will cover 74 percent of that amount with CARDI providing counterpart funding for the remainder. The project involves market research, including value chain analysis to gauge levels of consumer demand, potential areas for investment and defining the existing gaps in the market. Field research will validate climate-resilient varieties and genotypes, including strains that are high yielding, drought-tolerant, disease-resistant, and suitable for processing. Videos ...