AT LEAST 40 Agro-processing Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in Dominica are set to Benefit from Technical Assistance and Capacity Building (TACB) to enhance their competitiveness and Sustainability.

The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Competitive Business Unit (OECS-CBU), in collaboration with the Dominica Youth Business Trust (DYBT) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), through it’s Caribbean Technological Consultancy Services (CTCS) Network, is commencing the implementation of a 24-month project entitled “Enhancing the Competitiveness and Sustainability of Agro-processors in Dominica”.

With a financial contribution from the CDB in theamount of US$140,000 and in-kind contribution of US$70,000 from the OECS -CBU and the DYBT, the project aims to train at least 40 MSMEs of which 25 will have demonstrable export potential and 15 will be start-up agro-processing enterprises.

Participants will receive training and technical assistance to incorporate good manufacturing practices in their operations; develop and implement profitable costing and pricing strategies for their products; undertake product development for at least one existing or new product, and improve the packaging and labelling of their products.

The project will also undertake research to determine the feasibility of establishing a rotational (multi-purpose)agro-processing facility in Dominica.

The means of delivering the assistance and capacity building to the MSMEs will be through a series of group workshops, followed by customised in-plant training and capacity building; laboratory testing of products; and a training attachment at an established agro-processing company in an OECS member state.

The anticipated outcomes of the project are:

• improved capacity of agro-processors to implement good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and standard operating procedures (SOPs), and to upgrade the packaging and labelling of their products to meet markets requirements;
•  enhanced product quality;
•  improved/new packaging and labelling designs including nutritional content information; and
• a sustainable rotational production facility for agro-processors.

The OECS-CBU will be working in close collaboration with the DYBT, which initially conceptualised the project for its implementation in Dominica, and hopes to replicate this project in at least one other the OECS Member States.