In June, the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) started a pilot project in the village of Roxborough growing papaya, commonly known as pawpaw.

In hot regions, it can take six to nine months until harvest after planting pawpaw seeds so by March 2020, the women of the URP in Agriculture Programme, who sowed 767 plants, are expecting to bring 46,000 pounds of this high-value crop to market.

The first yield will be sold on the local market while its export readiness will be assessed. In addition, the URP is seeking to partner with the School Feeding Programme with the aim of supplying pawpaw to Tobago’s children.