Island edibles free Frégate finances

One of Seychelles’ premier five star resorts, Frégate Island is supplementing its fruit and vegetable imports by pursuing its own organic options, keeping both the guests and the accountants happy.

Frégate’s Agricultural Manager, Barry Luckman, explained that the main aim of the island’s three-acre plantation is to provide fresh produce for the hotel guests and staff, but so successful has it been, that the island is now a net food exporter within Seychelles.

In a rainy March, in which many crops were water logged, the island garden produced 4.5 tonnes for internal use and a huge 8.5 tonnes, of everything from corn to coriander, for export.

What makes this feat even more remarkable is the strict environmental protection policy followed on the island plantation.

Mr Luckman and his eight staff employ what he termed a “farming within the environment”, ethos, which sees them forgo the use of pesticides and use only a minimum amount of fertiliser, necessary to balance the nutrients in the soil.

“We are not trying to make the plants do anything they would not do naturally or break any records”, says Mr Luckman.

Overseeing quite possibly the largest pumpkin plantation in the country, Mr Luckman and his staff cultivate a vast range of plants, with everything from sweet corn to spring onions added to the Frégate menu.

As well as fruit and vegetables traditional to Seychelles, Mr Luckman also maintains an extensive herb garden and uses hydroponics to grow a wide range of salad vegetables.  Clearly relishing both the challenges and opportunities presented to the small island farmer, Mr Luckman, an agronomist with wide ranging experience in southern Africa, places emphasis on maintaining the plantation in harmony with the natural environment, even if it does lead to the occasional torti de ter being allowed to bulldoze through the garden.

The Agricultural Manager also said that the plantation had become something of a tourist attraction in its own right.

“There is a lot of interest from the guests, much more than I expected, they are very curious to see how food is produced for the island”, he said.

The Managing Director of Frégate Island, Mr Patrick Brizio said that, “It has always been the island’s policy to be self-sufficient in all its resources and we are well on our way in achieving our goals with our fruit and vegetables.”

LINKS