Guyana is hosting the 12th edition of Caribbean Week of Agriculture aimed at bringing together stakeholders for activities that promote agriculture and agri-industry.
Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy said the week of activities which will be held from October 5-12, is at its implementation stage and will comprise a number of workshops on topical issues in the sector held under the theme ‘Linking the Caribbean for Regional Food and Nutrition Security and Rural Development.’
“There will be 40 science sessions to mark the week-long celebrations, and several workshops including one on monitoring and management of pest population under a changing climate, and another on the development of the coconut industry in the Caribbean,” a report from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
Several meetings have also been planned including with the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Agriculture, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Ministers, and Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI). Forums on Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Food Prices and FAO Food Security Policy, and Agro-tourism and others that will benefit local farmers, students at the University of Guyana and the Guyana School of Agriculture have also been scheduled.
According to Ramsammy, “These sessions would sometimes be going concurrently. So you will have different rooms with different meetings and farmers and technical people can choose which meeting they are going to.”
In addition, an Exhibition and Trade Show will be staged from October 9-12. To date, 11 overseas exhibitors have confirmed their participation, however the ministry is hopeful that 20 local exhibitors will come on board as the CWA will start two days after GuyExpo closes.
“So we are expecting a high quality, a big reception for Caribbean Week of Agriculture. Already several ministers from the Caribbean have committed to come. We also are expecting for the first time at a Caribbean Week of Agriculture visitors from the Pacific; at least three Ministers have requested that they might want to come, the Regional Director from FAO will be coming to Guyana,” Ramsammy said.
“It is great time for us, not only to show what we are doing, but for the Caribbean to show how it is securing its food and how we are engaging in using agriculture to address other needs,” he explained.
