GRENADA - 1: Grenada, Local Spices Including Ginger & Nutmeg. The outer pericarp is used to make jams, jellies and syrups and the red membrane- mace- is used as a seasoning. Nutmeg oils and butters, made from the seed, are also widely used in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Dried and ground nutmeg are used for flavouring within the culinary industry including in the manufacture of nutmeg ice-cream, nutmeg rum and rum punch. Value added products offer significant economic potential.

In 2019, the Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg Association (GCNA) purchased 1.3 million pounds of nutmeg from farmers for the creation of value-added products and export. These developments and advances have opened the door for a “second wind” for Grenadian nutmeg- both locally and internationally. The Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), the Ministry of Agriculture and the Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg Association (GCNA) who are behind the project, are extremely optimistic about the implications for the growth of the sector based on these innovations. Intercropping with cocoa, banana, coconuts and root crops has also been an effective measure for soil and root protection.Īn alternative propagation method called grafting, introduced in Grenada in 2016, aimed at increasing nutmeg productivity by converting hundreds of male trees into female fruit bearing ones also holds immense promise for the sector. Farmers are learning to adapt to these vulnerabilities by creating windbreaks and shelter belts using trees such as bamboo, mango and citrus in the path of damaging winds, to reduce wind erosion.

Major exporter of nutmeg nyt