Following discussions held during the Caricom organized Public-Private Sector Consultation on Agri-Business, participants have called for the establishment of a council that will advance regional public-private co-operation in the agriculture sector.
Head of Go-Invest Geoffrey Da Silva disclosed on Thursday evening that while the exact details have not been finalized, the council will have equal representation from the private and public sectors. The proposal is that this council should be co-chaired by Caricom lead Head for Agriculture, President Bharrat Jagdeo and Caricom Secretary General Edwin Carrington.
Addressing the gathering at the Pegasus Hotel, Da Silva said that the private sector network needed developing and strengthening, since the “private sector, farmers’ organizations, agro-processors, other private business in agriculture” had to work together. He further observed that there was a need for a management information system since constraints existed with regard to the sharing of information.
Emphasizing the importance of integration between the public and private sectors, Da Silva said that donor groups would offer support when they saw a clear relationship between these two sectors in the area of agriculture.
Jagdeo, during his address, promised that the proposals which had come up during the two-day forum would be examined.
He also indicated his willingness to work with Carrington in respect of the special council.
In his presentation Jagdeo too called for a greater partnership between the government and the private sector. He said that governments needed to encourage investments by offering incentives, although he admitted that agriculture was a risky venture which was why some governments might not give the sector much priority. Nevertheless, every territory, he said, had the potential to succeed in at least one agricultural venture.
He expressed the view that members of the private sector were often full of talk and risk averse, but taking risks was a necessary skill for business persons, and diversifying the agricultural sector was essential.
Jagdeo also underscored the importance of getting the assistance of persons from outside the region, because if the region wanted to go into new sectors it would require the assistance of those who had succeeded in these sectors.
Meanwhile, President Jagdeo said that agriculture needed to be presented in a more attractive way to young people, and that youths were often given a one-dimensional view of the sector. Often great emphasis was placed on the field work, he said, but there were many other aspects such as research and development, and the technology relating to the sector, which were essential.
