Banana Industry Trust Corporation | About Us

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About Us

Restoring confidence in the banana industry

Welcome!

The Banana Industry Trust Corporation was established by Cabinet Conclusion No. 691 of 10 June 1999. The establishment of the Trust was endorsed by the Delegation of the European Union Commission in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Though the objectives of the Trust were many and all relate to the betterment of the Banana Industry, one of the primary objectives was to encourage, assist and support the development of sound farm practice in the production of bananas and in particular to restore confidence in the banana industry.

The office of the Trust was established in June 2001 with the appointment of the Executive Officer. An Administrative Assistant was recruited in April 2002 and the staff complement of the Trust has remained unchanged. The Role of the Trust has been focused on the following:

The administration of the PRP Loans to the Banana Companies;
The management of the funds provided by the Government of St. Lucia for the Inputs Credit Scheme for farmers;
The administration of the funds and projects under the SFA99 Grant Contract;
The administration of the funds and projects under the SFA2000 Grant Contract;
Support to the Banana Industry as needed within the available resources of the Trust

The office of the Trust is located in the American Drywall Building, Vide Boutielle, Castries. Funds for the administration of the Trust were supposed to have been transfered by the National Authorizing Office to the Trust from the remaining balances of the STABEX Funds for 1993, 1994 or 1995 for use in the banana industry. These funds were never transfered to the BIT and the operations of the Trust have been funded primarily from the EU SFA99 and SFA2000 Programmes.

The BITC became incorporated as a non Profit corporation under the Companies Act of Saint Lucia on December 28th, 2011.

Company No. 2011/C367

Leading Team

The Trust is administered by a Board of ten (10) Trustees made up of representatives from each of the banana companies, two (2) from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, one (1) from the Ministry of Finance, a representative from the private sector, a representative from the Bank of Saint Lucia, a representative from Banana Management Production Unit (BPMU) and a representative of the National Authorizing Officer (NAO). The EU also has a position on the Board.

The Executive Director of the Saint Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Brian Louisy, serves as Chairman of the Board with Bertram C. Clarke as Manager and Executive Officer. He is supported by Mrs. Donasha Alcindor-Wells, and Miss. Delia R. Toussaint who are the Administrative Assistant and Secretary respectively.

Bertram C. Clarke

Executive Officer

Brian Louisy

Chairman

Projects

SFA 1999

SFA 2000

SFA 2003

SFA 2005

Objectives

To encourage, assist and support the development of sound farm practices in the production of bananas.

To restore and maintain confidence in the Banana Industry.

To liaise with institutions having aims and objectives similar to those of the Trust.

To determine which requests for funding support could reasonably qualify for consideration, keeping in mind the viability of the project.

To ensure that all information derived from the work of the Trust is made available to interested parties in the private sector and farming communities.

To engage in activities contributing towards all or any of the objects of the Deed and to secure financial assistance for these purposes.

To promote better understanding of the nature and significance of all the activities of the Trust amongst the private sector and farming communities and to encourage the participation of the Banking Sector to sustain the funding of the operations.

To deliver complementary technical information and training services in the field on the latest innovations, organization and Management Systems. The delivery of these specific services by the Trust can only be accomplished on the basis of an established Memorandum of Understanding with the beneficiary.

Initially, all the objectives of the Trust all were related to the betterment of the Banana Industry. Over the years, the focus shifted slightly as it become prudent that the objectives of the Trust be expanded to include Agriculture as a whole. In doing so, other areas in the sector can also be supported by the Trust. Other BIT activities included the following:

The administration of the PRP Loans to the Banana Companies.

The management of the funds provided by the Government of Saint Lucia for the Inputs Credit Scheme for farmers.

The administration of the funds and projects under the various EU Grant Contracts of SFA Programmes.

Provide support to the Banana Industry -more recently the Agricultural Sector in generalas needed, within the available resources of the Trust.

The Trust has successfully managed the EC$2.95 million from the Input Credit Programme funded by the Government of Saint Lucia – started in 2001 – that aimed to provide credit inance to farmers for critical inputs. The funds have been recycled to the farmers on three occasions.

Other interventions by the Trust included the installations of “OffFarm” irrigation infrastructure in the Mabouya Valley – 84 acres – and Troumassee – 57 acres – amounting to a total of EC$1.4 million. These actions proved quite timely as both of these areas were saved from the ravages of the severe drought in 2001.

The Trust provided the resources for the purchase of the materials for aerial spraying to combat yellow sigatoka disease. The Trust also provided an advance of EC$0.5 million to one of the banana companies to support payment to farmers whose bananas were damaged by high winds in 2003.