Dominica to establish modern national agro-processing facilities to boost pepper sauce and honey industry 

Dominica: In a significant development, the government of Dominica has announced its plans to establish a modern national agro processing facility which will be aimed at boosting the country’s overall pepper sauce and honey industries. This development comes as part of a wider push to expand value added agriculture as well as support local producers.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit during a stakeholder engagement held on Monday with beekeepers and pepper sauce producers. During the meeting, he outlined a new collaboration approach which he said will be focused on collective growth, branding and market expansion.

While addressing the gathering, he said that the pepper sauce and honey subsectors are very critical to livelihoods, rural communities and the future of agriculture in Dominica. He noted that agriculture is evolving beyond raw production and it now depends heavily on processing, branding, quality assurance as well as market readiness.

Agriculture today is not only about what is grown in the field, it is about how the produce is transformed, packaged, stored, marketed and sold, the Prime Minister said. 

During the meeting, he also acknowledged that while producers operate in different subsectors many of them face similar challenges, especially when they are working individually. According to the Prime Minister, operating alone increases costs and limits the ability to solve common issues related to skills, infrastructure and market access.

While the products you produce are different, the challenges you face are very similar. What became very clear is that your challenge is really one of skill. When each producer works alone it becomes harder and more expensive to solve challenges which you face. What we have also observed is evidence that agriculture in Dominic is evolving. It is more moving decisively into value addition, branding, processing, quality assurance and market readiness.

PM Skerrit further praised pepper sauce producers for achieving high standards of quality, consistency and presentation. He further noted that several locally produced sauces are already positioned for regional and wider markets and commended the beekeeping sector for its strong organization, discipline and commitment towards quality control.

This is a sector that understands collective responsibility, quality control and long-term sustainability. The structure you have built gives government confidence. It signals readiness for expansion, investment and targeted support. It also provides a strong platform for accessing regional international markets where quality and consistency are essential.

Furthermore, he addressed the long-standing infrastructure constraints and revealed that the government is actively examining the establishment of dedicated agro processing facilities. He confirmed that the government is prepared to construct and fully equip modern facilities for honey processing, bottling and packaging along with a national facility for pepper sauce production.

He emphasized that these facilities would be provided at no direct cost to participating producers.

We are prepared to put the money into this so that you do not have to raise the capital to build the infrastructure required to operate at the level and scale you want, he said. 

The Prime Minister then encouraged producers to consider forming two producer owned companies and added that one will be for honey and one for pepper sauce as part of this proposed approach. Under this model, producers would retain their independence while working together in areas such as processing, marketing and sales with profits shared through dividends.

He explained that a collective structure would allow for lower input costs, consistent quality standards, stronger branding and the ability to reliably supply hotels, supermarkets and export markets.

According to the Dominican leader, such an arrangement would also enable more effective support through technical assistance, financing, business development and centralised infrastructure.

The Prime Minister stressed that the initiative is voluntary and will only succeed if producers believe in it and choose to participate. He said the engagement was intended to listen to producers and shape the next steps collaboratively.

Talking about the future, he said Dominica has the natural resources, climate, biodiversity and people needed to position its pepper products and honey as respected regional and international brands. He noted that by working together, producers and government can build industries, create jobs and boost the economic future of the country.