A CARICOM Regional Standard Specification for Grading of Fresh Agricultural Produce will be the theme of a Barbados National Standards Institution (BNSI) workshop to be held in April.
The CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) have collaborated with the BNSI to host the event, which will be held at the Warrens Office Complex, Warrens, St. Michael, on Tuesday, April 12, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.??
The activity, which falls under an International Development Bank Project on Promoting Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Competitiveness Through the use of Technical Standards in the Caribbean, has been created to allow representatives from SMEs, as well as public and private sector bodies concerned with agriculture, to discuss the Standard and how it would apply to and benefit their businesses.
The workshop’s ultimate purpose is to make participants aware of the instrument; understand how application of the Standard could improve business competitiveness; become more knowledgeable about its requirements and the commodities to which it applies; and to use a methodological approach to implementing the measure.
BNSI’s Lynn Sealy will facilitate the proceedings, which will feature presentations from IICA’s Regional Specialist, Agricultural Health and Food Safety, Carol Thomas, who will speak on post-harvest handling of fresh fruits and vegetables; and Technical Officer for Standards Development at the Dominica Bureau of Standards, Dr. Nadia Paquette-Anselm, who will conduct on overview of the Standard.??
Additional information on the workshop may be obtained by contacting the BNSI at 427-5270.