Focus intensifies on papaya cultivation

Published on June 8, 2026

Nearly twenty (20) extension officers, farmers, agriculture students and a technical team from Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC), and team members from the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) in Saint Lucia participated in the 90-minute workshop on papaya cultivation on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. 

The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Johnson Yang, Senior Production Specialist at the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM) in Saint Lucia, who explained the nutritional and economic benefits of papaya.

He also shared how papaya farmers can prepare their own pesticide, using dishwashing liquid mixed with cooking oil.

For the farm demonstration, three varieties of papaya were highlighted, namely Tianan 1, Tainan 2, and Red Lady, the latter being the variety that is more common among Saint Lucians.

Participants were shown how the spacing between trees, proper soil preparation, and regular pruning and spraying for pests can result in bountiful harvest.