The St. Lucia Floral Cooperative Society Limited (SLFCSL) is the primary
representative body of the flower producers in St. Lucia since its
establishment in 1999. Previously, the
organization named the St. Lucia Flower Growers Cooperative performed this function.
A historic perspective provided in “Profiles of Farmer Organisations in Saint
Lucia” a publication of IICA, speaks of the Flower Growers Cooperative in
its formative years as “experiencing the customary growing pains characterized
by the vicious circle: farmers do not take an active role in the organization
because the group cannot offer services, and the group cannot offer services
because their membership is small and the farmers do not play an active role”. From its headquarters at Vide Bouteille,
Castries the SLFCSL manages its island-wide membership for increased
productivity and developing local, regional and international markets. Some of
the products marketed by the SLFCSL include anthuriums, heliconias and ginger
lilies.
In the spirit of volunteerism, I have accompanied the SLFCSL on several
field trips to their membership. The purpose of the interaction is to facilitate
dialogue on production challenges and other concerns of the members. If you are
new to the industry as I was, you will the following notes interesting:
Orchid production is growing business in St. Lucia. Although production
has increased, large quantities of these blooms are imported to meet market demand. When bought
from the Tissue Culture Lab at Union the medium used is sphagnum moss. However,
the SLFCSL recommends washed pebbles as a sustainable option for transplanting with a
small part of the initial sphagnum moss. For more orchid photos, please visit
the D.I.G Facebook photo album.
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| Orchid |
The ant, the farmer; the shepherd to be more precise. The symbiotic
relationship between ants and mealy bugs is termed mutualism. Mealy bugs
produce a sugary substance called honey dew, a source of nourishment for the
ants. In exchange, the ants tend the mealy bugs, often “shepherding” the “herd”
of mealy bugs to the better "grazing pastures" in softer leaves and protecting them from predators.
The delicate balance: Without the ants to consume the accumulation of honey
dew, sooty mold would cover the area of the leaf and prevent the plant’s food
manufacturing process resulting in growth retardation. On the other hand, the
ants also destroy the flowers by building their nests in the blooms. This was
observed in heliconias.
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| The ant, the farmer |
The white fly is a major pest challenge to the floral industry, with
particular effect on orchids. They too produce honey dew which is growth medium
for sooty mold.
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| Anthurium leaf: white flies on the underside (left); sooty mold on the top (right) |
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Flowers of any kind are generally
considered beautiful. Someone once commented that the beauty is powerful to
stave off hunger. You would agree that the attraction of flowers is predominantly the brightly
coloured petals. Consider then the beauty of “green anthuriums” and “brown
hibiscus” hybrids.
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| Is this your kind of beautiful? |
Saint Lucia flower production is not characterized by large farms, but primarily
by backyard production.
Feel free to contact the SLFCSL for assistance when you decide to start your venture or to participate in its floral subsciption service.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
St. Lucia Floral Cooperative Society
Profiles of Farmer Organisations in Saint Lucia
