More than 20 female agro processors to attend workshop

(PointeXpress)A workshop designed to improve the business and marketing skills of female entrepreneurs, involved in agro-processing, is underway with the first session focused on product development, costing, and competition. Organised jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the International Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture, (IICA), some twenty-plus female and youth participants took part in the session on Monday night at the PDO building. The discussion on Monday evening was led by Jesse Thomas, of the Agro-Tourism Department in the Ministry of Tourism. His focus was on product development covering topics such as price points, cost of inputs and supplies, economies of scale, available market for local products, and competition for local products from imported ones. Thomas encouraged the attendees to form themselves into a Non-Governmental Organisation where they will be able to pool their resources and collaborate, to make themselves more competitive. Women make up the backbone of the agro-processing industry in Antigua and Barbuda as they produce a wide array of products. The workshop is designed to be better able to assist them with not just starting their businesses, but to give them skills to make their businesses develop and flourish. Tuesday night’s session will cover the area of standards, while on Wednesday the focus will be on food safety. On Thursday, the ladies will be introduced to areas of marketing, branding, and labeling. Next week Monday, the topic will be social media and information communications technologies (ICTs) while on Tuesday – the final session will be a recap of marketing, labeling, and branding as well as social media and ICTs. The opening session h