Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Santia Bradshaw, and Chargé d’Affaires, China’s Embassy in Barbados, Zou Xi, exchange documents following the signing the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement today. (Media Resource Department)

Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Santia Bradshaw, signed an agreement this morning with the People’s Republic of China for grant aid for the Hope Agricultural Training Institute and the University of the West Indies’ (UWI) Centre for Food Security and Entrepreneurship.

The agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation, which was also signed by Chargé d’Affaires, Zou Xi, will see the People’s Republic of China funding the projects.  It was determined that both projects would be funded together given their obvious synergies.

The objective of the Hope Agricultural Training Institute at Hope Road, St. Lucy, is to act as a partial training ground for students of the Barbados Community College and the Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology, as they seek to complete their associate degrees, diplomas and certificates in agricultural programmes.

The UWI Centre for Food Security and Entrepreneurship, which is located at Dukes, St. Thomas, has as its mandate to encourage and facilitate innovation in Caribbean agri-business and food production, including finding new and creative uses for local and regional plants, medicinal plants, cassava, breadfruit and cocoa products.

It is also supporting local sheep farmers by establishing a leather industry based on the Barbados Black Belly Sheep.

melissa.rollock@barbados.gov.bb

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