Press Release
With support from the PEI ADAPT Council, the CASP Overseas Ltd. (CASP) is pleased to present a series of public sessions entitled “Evaluating value added food product opportunities across PEI.”
Over the past few months CASP has been surveying retail grocery outlets to determine the potential demand for PEI Food Products. The sessions will highlight the results gathered from the survey and provide information on how agriculture producers and entrepreneurs can receive support to pursue these value added opportunities.

All sessions run from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. Refreshments will be provided.

• Monday, July 13th – Access PEI Montague
• Tuesday, July 14th – Tignish Initiatives Corporation
• Wednesday, July 15th – Future Tech West, O’Leary
• Thursday, July 16th – Access PEI Souris
• Monday, July 20th – Emerald Community Centre, Emerald Junction
• Tuesday, July 21st – Access PEI Wellington
• Thursday, July 23rd – Farm Centre, Charlottetown

For further information please contact:

David Boyce
Director Environmental Services, CASP
156 Richmond Street
Charlottetown, PEI
(902) 628-1035
david@caspinc.com

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CASP has recently received support from the PEI ADAPT Council, the PEI Department of Agriculture, and the PEI Community Development Bureau to carry out a project to gather information on the potential development of value added agricultural products on PEI.

The project has two parts. In the first part local grocery retailers were surveyed to determine what products and what volumes they feel can be procured from local sources. In the second part of the project, this information were conveyed to the public in a series of community meetings. Support staff from various agencies were on hand at the meetings to discuss programming aimed at supporting the development of value added and innovative agricultural products.

For more information about the project and updates as the project is implemented, please visit the project web page.

CASP is pleased to welcome a new member in Pellagri Energy. Pellagri Energy has developed an innovative commercial pellet burner that can utilize various fuel sources including pellets from agricultural residues such as hay and straws.  Providing heat for commercial applications up to 60,000ft2, the CSA certified Pellagri burner is combined with the proven, CRN certified Newmac boiler system to help stabilize energy costs.  The system is ideal for businesses and government buildings.  Pellagri is currently developing a residential model to help homeowners combat rising oil costs.

Pellagri Energy is looking forward to marketing its products to the inertnational community to provide renewable energy solutions that are designed to support local economies. For more information on Pellagri Energy and their products, please visit their web site at www.pellagri.com

During the work that CASP has completed in Ampara District, Sri Lanka several pilot projects were intitiated.  One of these projects was the Akkaraipattu Computer and Training Centre.  Now operating since February 2007 the Centre has seen the graduation of two classes in various programming from English language training to computer use and software training.  The training centre is one of a kind in the region and continues to be a valuable asset for the people of Akkaraipattu and the surrounding area.

David Boyce presents the completed Master Plan to Madame Ferial Ashraff, Minister for Housing and Common Amenities. Looking on is Mr. Calvin Piggott (far right) First Secretary of Development, Canadian High Commission Sri Lanka

You may download the Ampara District Master Plan document from the Rebuild Ampara website.

The Master Plan was written with the assistance of the people of Ampara District and the levels of government that represent them. It is intended to be a framework, to guide the development of the district, allowing the residents to lead a more prosperous and sustainable lifestyle while respecting ethnicity, culture, religion, and gender. The plan should guide the investments of donor agencies, NGOs, and CBOs to bring about cohesive development rather than a piece meal or ad hoc collection of projects.

Objectives
The Ampara District Master Plan is to be a guide, a living document, for the comprehensive development of the district carrying through a 20-25 year time frame. The following general objectives for the Master Plan were established by the Government of Sri Lanka. They are as follows:

• Improve socio-economic conditions while protecting the environment
• Restructure district economy in line with its resources
• Promote development of agriculture, fisheries, tourism, industry, and ports
• Enhance economic growth in rural areas
• Improve inter and intra district mobility
• Create an environment to attract private sector investment
• Enhance social harmony and equity

The Master Plan Development Process
In the spring of 2005, the government of Sri Lanka issued a call for proposals to develop the Master Plan for Ampara District. CASP responded to that call, and signed a MOU with the Sri Lankan Government in June 2005 with the Ministry of Housing and Construction under Minister Ferial Ashraff, the Senior Minister for Ampara District.

As part of the agreement, CASP sought funding to support the development of the Master Plan. This support was generously provided by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) with an agreement signed in January 2006. In February 2006, CASP opened three offices (Ampara, Kalmunai and Akkaraipattu) and began to hire the staff and specialists that would assist in the completion of the Master Plan. By June, the staff size had grown to 35 individuals playing a number of direct and support functions.

During the process to develop the Master Plan, CASP utilized foreign specialists, interviewed many groups, and individuals, and reviewed previously published documents to obtain the relevant information for the Master Plan CASP began a process of utilizing local advisory committees in various sectors, such as agriculture to guide the development of the work. The committees represented a cross section of the industry. Members provided their views about issues that needed to be addressed and possible solutions. The local advisory committees met several times during the course of the Master Plan process.

Communication has been an important part of the process, and CASP has utilized many forms of media, to keep the local public informed about the Master Plan progress. CASP employed a media team in its Akkaraipattu office that had responsibility for developing the content of various releases. The primary outlet for stories was the website www.rebuildampara.com. All materials, including video (also distributed on DVD), were uploaded to the website. Stories of progress from other NGO/INGOs were also part of the website. Each Sunday CASP hosted a Tamil language radio show also called “Rebuild Ampara”, also available through the website.

In March 2007, CIDA engaged a consultant to provide an independent review of CASP’s work on the Master Plan, to evaluate progress, and assess the effectiveness of the work The consultant’s report indicated that some government staff based in the district felt that they had not been properly consulted. To rectify the situation, CASP hosted a number of workshops to engage government staff and civilian society. In July 2007, the GA for Ampara District issued a letter of invitation to government employees to attend a series of workshops on the Master Plan. Similar invitations were issued to CBOs, NGOs and INGOs. A series of 16 workshops were held covering each of the Master Plan topics with two hosted for the topic of gender.

In addition to a planning process, CASP initiated several demonstration projects to show progress and demonstrate techniques that could be advanced through the Master Plan. The demonstration projects supported by CASP included:

• Handloom Centre of Excellence
• Biogas Digester at the Hardy Institute
• Gender Studies Centre at the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka
• Computer, Business, and English language training centre in Akkaraipattu
• Potato demonstration trials (5 locations)

You may download the Ampara District Master Plan document from the Rebuild Ampara website.