Dear Editor,
Ask anyone in the English Caribbean which country has the most potential to become the ‘breadbasket of the Caribbean’ and they will say – Guyana. Ask anyone in the Dominican Republic and they will disagree.
The following extract was taken from the Dominican Sun of May 7, 2008: “The Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, has expressed confidence in the Dominican Republic’s (DR) ability to set up a program aimed at solving food shortage problems throughout the Caribbean. The project to convert the DR into the breadbasket of the Caribbean could be pushed forward with the help of the UN and developed countries; it has a projected cost of between US$800 million and US$1 billion.
Speaking at a luncheon hosted by Dominican Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso, Ban Ki-moon said that he would call the Security Council to session on Haiti and the Dominican Republic to take a look at the issue ‘where we should all work together and create a coordinated effort.’”
Guyana is considered the potential breadbasket because of its extensive land and water resources and its established links with the English-speaking island markets.
The Dominican Republic, with a population closing in on 9 million, considers itself the breadbasket of the Caribbean because it grows, farms and catches almost everything that’s served on dinner tables everywhere, from sidewalk cafes to five-star restaurants and hotels.
Its infrastructure includes paved roads to every agricultural area, 32 hydroelectric dams, five ports with containerized services, air services to everywhere provided by over 20 airlines, several agricultural schools and colleges (with 4 teaching organic agriculture), nationwide state-of-the-art communication systems and modern agricultural inputs, tools and equipment on sale in every agricultural region. Many of its farmers are organized into hundreds of associations and cooperatives. As a result the DR has become a world force in the export of Asian vegetables, tropical fruits and purees and organic cocoa and bananas.
While a daunting task lies ahead to develop its agricultural sector, Guyana must not despair. It must run the race building on its comparative advantages and experiences. If it plans well and implements efficiently on a continuous basis, it will one day be able to truly call itself the Breadbasket of the English Caribbean. Hopefully, participants in the Agri Investment Forum (June 6-7, 2008) will be able to look back and say: I was there when it all began.
Yours faithfully,
Jerry La Gra
Executive Officer S-SOS
