Above: the Pitaya

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Officials in Nevis, with help from Taiwan, have big plans for the cultivation of a new fruit on the island: the Pitaya.

The Nevis Island Administration recently held a one-day workshop with the Taiwan Technical Mission at Cades Bay, aimed at helping Nevisians introduce a new variety of the fruit on the island.

“Any time you see a red fruit like this, you think of one thing: antioxidants, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin C,” said Dr Kelvin Daly, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture. “The nutrition part of it is the most important part of it. I think we should be moving away from a lot of the concentrates — orange and others. We have fresh fruit.”

Nevis has been making an effort to encourage locally-produced fruit on the island. Nevis’ Four Seasons Resort, for example, emphasizes the sourcing of fruits and vegetables grown on the island.

“The beauty about this plant is it grows year-round, unlike our seasonal plants, which grow only certain times in the year,” Daly said. “This fruit, you can have it year round right in your garden. It takes very little space and you can reach out and pick one and have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.”

Randy Elliott, acting director of agriculture in Nevis, said the fruit’s cultivation was a testament to the cooperation between Taiwan and Nevis’ Ministry of Agriculture.

He said the fruit has been used elsewhere in the world in the fight against cancer, along with obesity.

Taiwan’s William Tseng helped facilitated the cooperation.