Martinique:--- From June 17th to 21st 2015, Martinique will host the fourth edition of the International Floralies in Trois- Ilets, as part of an innovative concept called «Caribbean Bouquet».
Twenty (20) Caribbean countries including Barbados, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Trinidad & Tobago, French Guiana, Suriname, Brazil, St. Martin, St. Vincent, Guyana, St. Kitts, Grenada, Montserrat and Haiti, will take part in the «grand eco-cultural flourishing garden» to be presented to the Martinican public at the site of the historical La Pagerie Floral Park.
The Floralies Park of Trois-Ilets, dedicated to this vocation since 1979, is spread over three hectares and is located on a portion of the former «Domaine de la Pagerie», property of the family of Empress Joséphine. It houses around a hundred identified plant species, aviaries, picnic areas, shelters and a theatre of greenery.
This magnificent site will be restored to its original splendour to host horticultural professionals (nursery growers and horticulturalists, landscapists, seed producers, manufacturers of gardening equipment, amateur gardening associations, green contractors, horticultural schools, horticultural societies, research institutions, ...) highlighting their expertise.
This event, organised by the municipality of Trois-Ilets, is a major step in the « Caribbean Bouquet» project* financed jointly by the territorial authorities, Europe and long-standing partners, the Regional and General Councils of Martinique. It pursues an overall objective of setting in motion a single Caribbean marketplace.
As such, the structuring of the Caribbean horticultural industry is of particular interest because its success prefigures and guarantees possible economic development with our natural geographical neighbours.
Caribbean Bouquet offers an unprecedented and informative programme for this event, based on an exchange of knowledge regarding the horticultural industry in the Caribbean: a seminar in advance of the event, an exceptional animation at the site of the International Floralies, high quality floral exhibitions, a prize competition and a floral digital photography competition sponsored by the Soroptimist Club of Fort-de-France, and many other attractions to be unveiled during the week dedicated to horticulture.
Thus, during this grand horticultural event, the seminar titled «Can scientific research stimulate the development and economic enhancement of the horticultural industries and their co-products? » will take place from June 18th to 19th at the Carayou Hôtel in Pointe du Bout, Trois-Ilets. Renowned personalities, researchers, local and regional scientists from the Caribbean, will be in attendance.
This discussion space will enable professionals to intersect the results of their scientific and economic research in order to construct or structure together a purely Caribbean industry capable of competing in global markets.
The Municipality of Trois-ilets hopes that this new edition of the Floralies of Martinique integrated into the «Caribbean Bouquet» concept will achieve its key objectives namely, facilitating circulation within the Caribbean region, pooling ideas and experiences, to create a single Caribbean market conducive to our development and in particular, the horticultural industry.
SEMINAR AGENDA
Can scientific research stimulate the development and economic enhancement of the horticultural industries and their co-products?
From June 18 to 19th, at the Carayou Hotel located in Pointe du Bout, Trois-Ilets, from 8:30am to 6pm, the Municipality of Trois-Ilets will welcome horticultural professionals to discuss themes which will lay the foundations and conditions for the creation and structuring of a single Caribbean horticultural market.
The main themes to be addressed are as follows:
- Current state of the horticultural industry in the Caribbean
- Current state of research conducted on flowers and plants in the Caribbean
- Definition of the perimeter of the network (tropical ornamental flowers, plants, medicinal plants, for example)
- Proposal for the construction of an information management and knowledge sharing system concerning horticultural research to which all participants of the network would contribute
- Resolutions- Establishment of the programme for the subsequent seminar
- Final declaration
- Renowned panellists including Mrs. Claire Amar, Research Engineer at CIRAD (Centre for international cooperation in agronomic research for development); Mr. Guy Anaïs and Mr. Harry Ozier-Lafontaine, Research Engineers at INRA (National Institute of Agronomic Research); as well as researchers from the University of the West Indies and the PAR (Regional Agribusiness Pole), will gather to exchange ideas among industry professionals from the sector in the aim of advancing the «Caribbean Bouquet» project.
