Devowner Devon Slater is expecting to double his production this year, even as he fights a battle against monkeys and would like more space.
Slater, who was taking students from Gordon Greenidge Primary School on a tour of the farm at Orange Hill, St James, said he was seeking assistance from Government to clear some more space.
“Last year I harvested close to 600 pineapples and I’m looking for about 1 300 this year, but the monkeys eating them out. They probably eat about 40-something already. When I’m inside there and look out, you can’t see them,” he said.
“They’re so smart. They creep up from the back and go eat the pineapples. They’re watching out for me all the time and they come in the morning time,” he explained.
Scarecrow
Fly traps and sack bags hung on a wire were used as a scarecrow to deter the monkeys, but to little effect.
Although he began planting pineapples seven years ago in a can in his backyard, he took the business seriously in 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic. He gave away the suckers to people to plant, but when he inquired about the plants, he was often told they had died. Determined to succeed, he took matters into his own hands and began planting them himself.
“When they bear, I take the suckers and extend until they extend out. I started off with four or five pineapple plants and I germinate some from seeds. The others, I germinate from the pineapple itself,” he explained.
On his nearly one-acre farm, Slater grows a variety of pineapples, including the cone, sugar sweet, honeydew, red and Hawaii pineapple.
The best season is during January and February, although they are available throughout the year.
Planting
Slater explained that pineapples typically took a year or more to grow, depending on the cultivation method. He encouraged
those interested in planting pineapples to do so in a container and use a special type of soil.
“People say that pineapples can’t grow in Barbados. I show them that pineapples can grow here. I want them to come and see these pineapple plants in Barbados that I plant and see that good, sweet, juicy pineapple is easy to grow,” he proudly said.
Slater interacted with the students who made their way through the plants, staring in amazement and asking questions.
“I enjoyed the tour pretty well. I learned about the sugar sweet pineapple which is green, the cone pineapple which is red and the Guyanese pineapple is red and purple,” said Samiya Maynard.
Schoolmate Kaderi Murray Thornhill said: “Today I learned about the different types of pineapples. They were very lovely and I got to see what kind of pineapples they were. They look very sweet and I can’t wait until they get ripe so we can taste them. I hope we get to come back another time and he invites us again. I very much liked it here.”
Agricultural science teacher Brenda Drakes said the tour was a great way to expose students to the cultivation of crops.
“I think it would be a good experience for the children to understand that what you eat, you don’t always have to bring from overseas.
“We can have our own local pineapples here and it would be good for them. They can save money by growing their own crops and things like that,” Drakes said.
(AJ)
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