St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Denzil  Douglas in discussions with EU Commissioner Ambassador Tincani. (Photo by Erasmus Williams)

Barbados will get a BDS$5.8 million dollar injection from the EC as part of the Commission’s plan to provide development assistance support, following last year’s reform of the European Union’s sugar regime.

The Barbados sugar adaptation strategy focuses on two strategic components - economic diversification and the restructuring of the sugar industry.

The money will help the sugar industry branch out into other areas like ethanol production.  There are plans for a multi-purpose plant to produce sugar, electricity using the sugar by product bagasse, and ethanol for fuel.

In addition to the technical assistance, the funds will finance on-line access to public services and human resource development.

St Kitts and Nevis is also on the receiving end of the Commission’s development assistance, receiving BDS$7 million for a project which addresses the country’s post sugar reconstruction programme.

St Kitts is already out of the sugar business, and the money will be spent on helping the people previously employed in the industry to adjust to that change.

The two projects are the first operational support by the EU, forming a part of their multi-annual adaptation strategies for the period 2006-2013.