By Raymond F Trotz: Chairman, National Stakeholders Platform, Guyana
Background and Introduction
In recent months there has been much focus on developing the coconut industry in Guyana. In April, for instance, there was the official launching of a regional project titled ‘Coconut Industry Development for the Caribbean’ accompanied by a launching of Guyana’s first Coconut Festival slated for October 21-23, 2016 at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre. These activities have their genesis in a series of efforts arising from a study presented at the 12th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) held in Guyana from October 7 – 12, 2013.
The study was funded by the European Commission on behalf of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) Secretariat and the Caribbean Forum (CariForum) and may be seen in the context of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) following the withdrawal of preferential treatment for traditional plantation crops in European markets. It was conducted through a series of visits and interviews by Dr Ranjit Singh, Lead Consultant and Senior Lecturer, UWI, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago and Dr Simon Eden-Green, Lead Consultant and Plant Health Specialist in Coconuts, United Kingdom. The findings were presented at the 12th CWA funded by The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and the Caribbean Agricultural Research & Development Institute (CARDI). Two priority interventions were identified: (i) “Enhancing the range of value added products, particularly higher valued products and growing business and entrepreneurial activities” and (ii) “Improving production, productivity and efficiency.” These led to three objectives:
To review in-depth the results of the Intra-ACP 10th EDF needs assessment study on the coconut industry in the Caribbean region;
To agree on the priority interventions and a roadmap for developing the Caribbean coconut industry within a three to five-year period at national and regional level;
To seek endorsement from Caribbean ministers attending the CWA on the indicative road map for developing the Caribbean coconut industry over the next three to five years.
Intense discussions from Caribbean stakeholders attending the workshop led to agreements on a Roadmap to reviving the industry. Four interventions were identified:
- Stakeholder organizing for planning development of the industry where key areas included were: (a) strengthening the supply chain through stakeholder collaboration at the national and regional levels; (b) developing an industry business plan and road map; and (c) creating a conducive policy environment – national and regional (including a review of the Caricom Oils and Fats Agreement).
- Production oriented interventions including: (a) direct improvement of production and productivity (requiring financial and technical assistance); (b) R&D to address key pests and diseases; (c) strengthening R&D capacity at the national level to effectively manage pest and diseases; and (d) specific community-based case studies to promote the development of the industry in local communities.
- Value-added oriented interventions including: (a) capacity building for value-adding entrepreneurs as well as the provision of business support services including financing; and (b) technical assistance in product and process development with respect to value-adding.
- Marketing and business oriented interventions. These include: (a) business support including assistance with market development for coconut-based value added products made by small scale/artisanal entrepreneurs; and (b) consumer awareness and sensitization regarding the range of coconut value added products and their attributes.
In pursuit of developing the regional roadmap, a workshop with the theme of “repositioning the coconut industry in nine Caribbean countries for resuscitation and sustainable development” was held in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2014. It was hosted by CARDI in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and was attended by stakeholders from Belize, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname. At that meeting European Commission representatives announced a preliminary funding of €3.5 million to prepare the industry for resuscitation.
This has led to execution of the current project ‘Coconut Industry Development for the Caribbean’ with the ITC as Project Executing Agency and CARDI as the Implementing Agency.
In 2015 the ITC and CARDI held a series of workshops with stakeholders in participating countries. These meetings demonstrated a policy of participatory approaches aimed at ensuring that stakeholders become intimately involved in the development and implementation of plans to develop an industry.
The emphasis is that ownership of, and consequently responsibility for, development of the industry must reside with its stakeholders. Stakeholders include not only producers of primary and value-added products but also providers of support services such as banking, marketing, suppliers of inputs, regulatory agencies, and technical service providers.
In Guyana, the initial stakeholders meeting was convened in May 2015 at the Grand Coastal hotel. Four desirable outcomes were identified:
1) Market opportunities identified, value chain development plans agreed; synergies and continuity developed with existing regional and national programmes to enhance regional integration of markets;
2) Competitiveness and sustainability enhanced by dissemination of production intensification methods and by improving synergies between different actors involved in value chains;
3) Access to information and advisory services on finance, trade, agriculture, management and markets facilitated for small producers; and
4) Small producers would have greater access to risk management instruments, particularly on climate and market risks.
Each of these four was elaborated and it was agreed that the ITC would specialize in assisting with Outcomes 1 and 3 while CARDI would focus Outcomes 2 and 4. At the end of that meeting, the question arose on who would carry the responsibility for execution of the programme to realize these outcomes. The answer was a decision to form a National Stakeholders Platform (NSP).
In June 2014 CARDI, charged with implementing the project across the region, convened a meeting of selected stakeholders at the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI). They constituted the core of Guyana’s NSP. Stakeholders were asked to elect a Chairman and Vice Chairman to lead the process of formulating and implementing a plan for revival of the industry. A unanimous decision was taken to elect Raymond Trotz as first Chairman of the NSP with Vilma Da Silva as Deputy.
Each NSP has been given detailed Terms of Reference and assigned a technical person identified as a Focal Point with detailed Terms of Reference also. The general policy has been to designate CARDI’s representative as the Focal Point or in the absence of one the responsibility has been given to a supporting agency such as IICA or the country’s research institution. In Guyana the Director of NAREI has been identified as the Focal Point.
The work of the NSP is entirely voluntary and is guided by the ITC and CARDI. For now its task may be summarized as transforming the production base from illustration A to B as the basis for developing value chains. An elaboration of this work and its challenges will follow in subsequent articles.
