Dear Editor,
Policy guidelines regarding the projected disruption of global food supplies are continually being examined. The impact on low-lying population centres is clearly recognizable, but there are likely to be equally severe effects in other areas that depend on predictable patterns of rainfall.
Food scarcity, as envisioned in the region, would appear to have a relatively straightforward resolution on paper, due to small populations, and the ability to boost production on fallowed lands. One notable exception is Haiti, which has a larger population, deforested areas, and the unfavourable effect its mountain range has on precipitation.
Caricom territories, for the most part, do not utilize much of the plant and animal species that many other countries would readily use as food, and theoretically would not be in dire need early in a crisis. They can therefore take the opportunity to direct developmental effort not only towards food scarcity for the region, but also towards an export oriented, GDP boosting activity. This would imply the development of food processing, which, from a global perspective, has traditionally been the preserve of crops grown in temperate regions. There has been little or no research on the processing of tropical food products. Occasionally, one may notice a product from places such as Thailand, or the soon to be acquired Brazilian coconut water enterprise by PepsiCo. By and large, tropical food products are available only as fresh produce.
Since economies of scale determine the potential of any effort, a cohesive regional approach will be crucial in establishing success and viability. The majority of tropical countries will remain focused on feeding their own populations, and are not likely in the near future to place much emphasis on processing, despite the obvious benefit. Any emergency help they receive from time to time will likely be in the form of processed foods grown in the temperate regions.
Caricom can take the lead and go a step further, by putting in place the foundation for the development of this type of industry, which would be of benefit to all.
Yours faithfully,
Patrick Scott
