Montserrat’s first Breadfruit & Mango Fest kicks off on Wednesday, August 23 in Little Bay.
The brainchild of Dr. Kevin Crooks, the Agriculture Development Specialist in the Ministry of Agriculture, the aim of the event is to promote the value of breadfruit and mango and the economic impact they can bring to the country.
The Ferry Terminal at Little Bay port will be the venue for all three days of the festival.
On Wednesday, there will be a workshop on grafting techniques at the agriculture nursery in Brades.
This will be followed by the main seminar at the Ferry Terminal at 5PM. The special guest speaker will be Todd Manley, chef, and owner of Mutiny Island Vodka.
Speaking on ZJB Radio Montserrat, Carmencita Duberry said there will be four presenters in all who will be sharing information on planting and caring for the crops, harvesting, post harvesting, evaluating the quality of mangoes and breadfruits, value added products which can be derived from breadfruits and mangoes and assessing the nutritional values of the processed items. There will also be a question-and-answer segment following the presentations.
Thursday will be Quiz Night where teams from three of the summer camps will compete for cash prizes from 5PM to 7PM. Dr. Crooks believes there is a big market for breadfruit and as the island is blessed with fruit there is a good opportunity to explore. His desire is that having the children learn about the potential of these two plans will plant a seed in their mind about their value and potential for economic development.
Friday, starting at noon will be the exhibition which has more than 40 participants registered, according to organisers. The exhibition will also include a cooking competition using breadfruit and mango and there will also be a mango eating competition in the afternoon.
After 8PM, everyone is invited to sample free breadfruit vodka cocktails.
