Young people in Carriacou will soon be given the opportunity to benefit from business grants under the Enterprise Business Development Component of SAEP, which is managed by the Grenada Investment Promotion Agency.
SAEP — the Climate Smart Agriculture and Rural Enterprise Programme — is an initiative financed by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), Caribbean Development Bank and the Grenada Government.
SAEP Programme Manager Byron Campbell, who has just visited Carriacou, said an examination is being taken on how residents of Carriacou and Petite Martinique can receive greater benefits, including business grants.
Mr. Campbell led a team of visiting officials that included Paolo Silveri, Grenada Country Director for IFAD; and Vera Salazar, Grenada Programme Officer for IFAD.
The team met with Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs & Local Government, Javan Williams, and Senior Agriculture Officer Benson Patrice, who appraised them on the climate smart agriculture activities now being undertaken in Carriacou, and also discussed further collaboration for new projects on the island.
The team also visited three of 10 SAEP beneficiaries in Carriacou: Michael Jaffier, a farmer, who received assistance for the construction of a new pig pen; Travis Noel, a fisherman, who received help in designing and constructing new fish pots; and Anthony McIntyre, who is into animal rearing.
Campbell, while satisfied with the level of SAEP support given, said much more will be done in the new period, including addressing the major concern of access to farms. In this regard, the design has begun for the construction of farm roads in the Dumfries area.
