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Youth agri-preneurs shine at CWA

Young entrepreneurs from across the region got the opportunity to showcase their products at the Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2016 which was held recently in the Cayman Islands.

The Youth and Agriculture Programmes at the CARICOM Secretariat and IICA with support from the Intra-ACP APP and the EU recently collaborated to have the event where these youths got the opportunity to showcase their products. We caught up with a few of the participants from the event and they said they were very grateful for the opportunity. I want to extend my sincere gratitude towards the sponsors who made this event possible.

As a young entrepreneur this was an extraordinary opportunity for me to be able to showcase my products on a bigger market. It gave me the opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs and it was even an eye opener to take better care of my financial matters, said Vanessa Grootfam owner of Queen Van Hair and Nails in Suriname.

According to owner of Dada b’s Duhaje Jennings, from Jamaica, participating in the Grand Market place was the best thing that has happened to his business. He said preparing for the show was an eye opener and pushed him to get his marketing tools ready.

These include the purchasing of a website domain as well as branding my shirts. The setting up of the booth allowed for cultural exchanges with the other members of the group and has facilitated the forming of strong bonds that are strategic and potentially profitable for the region. The exhibition itself was remarkable and for Dada B’s, many new linkages formed. There are several distributors who are now interested in the products and I am currently ironing things out to do exporting, said Jennings.

Owner of Ibis Beauty Box Kellyann Allicott, who hails from Barbados, said participating in the Grand Market place was a great experience for her.

I got to see opportunities I can explore if funding and technical assistance is obtained in a timely manner. I really would like to thank all sponsoring bodies for allowing me to participate in this event.I truly feel honoured to be part of this group of young agri-preneurs who have the best interest of the Caribbean at heart, Allicott said.

She also had some words of advice for future young entrepreneurs. She encouraged them to do their research and make sure they are getting into this sector because they have a love and a passion for it.

Nothing comes easy and when those hard times come your passion will be there to get you through, she said.

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