From its headquarters in Castries, St. Lucia, WIBDECO functions as a regional network with operations in Dominica, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Grenada. WIBDECO manages the buying, transport and loading operations in the three main producing islands.

At the central level, WIBDECO runs a laboratory (testing and diagnostic) facility at Roseau in St Lucia, where samples of key inputs are tested for efficacy, while soil, leaf and other biological farm samples are analysed for deficiencies or with other objectives. In addition, WIBDECO provides technical support to the local industry in a number of areas, including product quality/management and serves as the Produce Marketing Organisation (PMO) for EUREP-GAP certification.

DOMINICA
The Dominica Banana Industry was the first among the Windward Islands to experience a major attrition among farmers and significant decline in production. (See Library And Statistics).

WIBDECO receives bananas from the farmers at two buying centres; at Portsmouth and at the port in the Capital, Roseau. The bananas from Portsmouth are trucked to Roseau where all the bananas are loaded from a single port for shipment to the UK.

The farmers in Dominica are the principal suppliers of Fairtrade bananas to Tesco.

ST. LUCIA
The St Lucia banana industry is the largest of the Windward Islands, accounting for about 50% of all Windwards banana exports. It is also the only privatised industry and the only one where there is more than one operating company or local service provider. WIBDECO operates two purpose-built buying centres, one in Odsan and one in La Caye in the two valleys in the centre of the Island. From there the bananas are trucked to Vieux Fort port in the south of the Island, where they are loaded onto vessels for carriage to the UK. The port facility at Vieux Fort is also used as a buying centre.

ST. VINCENT
In 1998, a national irrigation project was implemented, with the main objective of increasing land productivity in the banana industry. To date, over EC$ 20 million has been spent on the scheme and 1,700 acres are under irrigation. To complement this effort, a local capability has been established to produce the island's requirement in tissue culture plantlets

WIBDECO operates two buying centres in St Vincent; a purpose-built facility at Langley Park in the north of the island and the port facility in the Capital, Kingstown. From Langley Park the bananas are trucked to Kingstown for loading and shipment.

In all three islands, WIBDECO works closely with local banana companies and growers associations in managing the operations of the local industry.

GRENADA
The banana industry does not command the same degree of economic importance in Grenada as it does in the other three islands. Agriculture in Grenada is more diversified and centred around tree crops, nutmeg and cocoa. Much of the bananas produced there is consumed locally or sold regionally. However, there are fortnightly exports to the UK.

It was decided, with the support of the Grenada Government, that the banana industry in Grenada would be concentrated on organic production. This led to the development of the River Antoine project, a 150-acre farm that was intended to establish the base for organic production in the Windward Islands. Production from the project has been delayed but the objective is still being pursued.