President Irfaan Ali on Friday sounded a warning that the region has to work collectively to fix the systems to address food sustainability and production.
Ali was at the time addressing the opening of the second Agri-Investment Forum, held in Trinidad on the heels of a precursor event held here in May.
The theme for the forum was ‘Transforming agriculture through innovation and investment’.
President Ali said that the food system comprises people, institutions, infrastructure, regulations and ambitions, before adding that it is important that every element works simultaneously in addressing the intended target of CARICOM’s 25 by 2025 plan.
“If we do not have the right skill set, the right human resource then we will not be able to develop the human resource capacity that will take the system forward. That is why in the plan itself we are working on an agenda that will focus heavily on the training of young people and women and integrating them in this value system to support the agri-food system for the region,” Ali said.
He added that several CARICOM heads have already begun pushing the involvement of youths in a technology-driven area of agriculture.
Speaking directly to institutions within CARICOM, Ali said that the bureaucracy that exists within the region has created severe ‘humbug’ in the system.
“We have the misinterpretation of rules. There is no commonality through which we interpret some regulations. The institutions exist on different standards and different rules and different regulations. We have to fix the institutions in a way that every single institution in the region operates on the same procedures, guidelines and standards so that our people will have a common access and a common understanding as to what the procedures, the guidelines and standards are and it must not vary from country to country. It requires a shift in thinking, a shift in our mindset and I’m saying to the population of this region that this group of CARICOM leaders, we are committed to ensuring that shift occurs,” Ali told the gathering.
Ali called on the regional private sector to step up to the plate and push the leaders to act swiftly. He explained that there is enough ‘firepower’ in the region to form a consortium to deal with the issue of transportation and logistics. He highlighted that Prime Ministers Mia Mottley, Keith Rowley and Ralph Gonsalves have already made it clear that they are committed to sitting down with a regional consortium to craft a menu of measures and incentives that will allow them the space to operate in a viable manner.
“We cannot sit back in the private sector and expect that the government must create the environment all the time. The government is an enabler…we have to stop work in a selfish way in the region, at every level and private sector need to come together, understand the scale of opportunity, scale their thinking and go after the opportunity and put the pressure back on the heads…come on board and let us together form a partnership to solve this problem. If not, if not, if not, then you’ll give the heads no other choice but to go extra regional,” Ali warned.
Ali said that the commitment of the CARICOM Heads in achieving the 25 by 2025 targets is not the optimum commitment rather it is just a baseline. He noted that the objective must be far beyond that commitment and added that the fact that the leaders decided to assign a measurable target to the work they have embarked on should relate the seriousness with which they are applying themselves in achieving the target.
He added that the world is a different place now pointing out that is it currently plagued with a number of crises which makes addressing the need for food security even more pressing.
“As a region, we have communicated the global story and how the global challenges impact the lives of people in our region. The question is: ‘[Have the people of our region understood that message?’ And it’s an important question. Because if we do not understand the consequences of the global challenge, then we’re not appreciating that individually and collectively we are operating in a global environment. So there will be pressures in achieving the target of 25 by 2025,” Ali said.
He noted that every leader in the CARICOM bloc is tasked with dealing with the imported inflation, rising costs of food, climate challenges and debt crisis while simultaneously looking for resources to achieve the targets outlined in the food sustainability plan. He said that there will be sacrifices needed to achieve those targets.
Food sustainability progress
At the same time, the Guyanese leader said that the region must acknowledge the fact that over the last couple of months, significant progress has been made in furthering the food sustainability plan. He said that in Jamaica in the last year CARICOM has seen strong progress in achieving the targets outlined.
“As of March 2022, they [Jamaica] have reached 26% of their target. We saw solid performances in onions, Irish potatoes in particular. In the case of Trinidad and Tobago, we saw strong performances registered particularly in poultry for a target of 83,000 metric tonnes and an amount of 66,500 metric tonnes was produced up to June 2022. Production levels in St. Lucia of fresh fruits and vegetables, poultry and pork have outstripped targets by June 2022. For instance, the target volume was set at 91.4 metric tonnes for fruits and vegetables but by June 2022 reported production had amounted to 1,000,309 metric tonnes.
“This, of course, is indicative of a clear need for upward adjustments to the target as presented by both my sister Prime Minister Mottley and our private sector head. To underline this point for the identical category of produce, that I just mentioned from St Lucia the import is 8,000,249 metric tonnes. So although we saw a significant growth, there is still a huge gap in import and production,” Ali, who heads the CARICOM agriculture initiative, reported.
He told the gathering in Port of Spain that CARICOM member states have begun to demonstrate their commitment to the removal of barriers to trade between countries in the region. He pointed to the establishment of the Guyana-Barbados food terminal in Barbados and noted that it is a demonstration of one such commitment. The Guyanese leader further stated that similar discussions are ongoing with Antigua, Jamaica, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the region.
Ali said that the move is meant to secure easier access to markets.
Providing the forum with statistics from Guyana, Ali said that in the last six months there has been steady progress reported in every category. He added that the aim is to ensure that by the end of 2024, the country is completely self-sufficient in the input for poultry feed with corn and soy. Ali also used that opportunity to inform potential investors that Guyana is open and ready to accept investments in that regard.
“The heads of government have agreed that if we’re not all ready then we must move with those who are ready. Time has come for us to demonstrate tangible results, tangible results as we seek to create an environment in this region in which not only we are more secure, but we develop a sustainable and resilient part to food security,” he said.
Financing
Back in March, President Ali told CARICOM Heads of Government in Belize that Trinidad-based Republic Bank, through the CARICOM Sustainability Agriculture Credit Facility, will be offering up to $20 billion (US$100 million) in financing for the development of the agriculture sector.
Yesterday, he reported that they have seven proposals before the bank, seeking to access loans from the fund.
“…without any external consultant, utilizing the skills and the Ministerial Task Force and the skills we’re building up in the implementation unit in Guyana, and with CARICOM, we have completed seven proposals for Barbados, Guyana, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and those proposals are now with Republic Bank and we are pushing the have Republic bank approve those proposals to advance the financing of these projects,” he said.
He added that the Caribbean Development Bank is also an active partner and ready to support the advancement of CARICOM’s food agenda. He challenged the CARICOM leaders to consider special incentives for financial institutions offering agricultural loans.
Distributors of local produce
Meanwhile, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr Keith Rowley said that there is a certain amount of cynicism that is to be expected to be associated with the forum and the approach of CARICOM in trying to tackle its food supply and security. He said that cynicism is understood since there have been several failed initiatives geared at tackling food security.
He noted that changes in markets coupled with diseases have changed the agricultural landscape in the region.
PM Rowley identified that the freedom of movement of services, produce, products and finance in CARICOM are the greatest impediments to changing the circumstances. He said that the time is now to change those circumstances to ensure that the region’s food plan becomes successful.
“So what has happened recently, has frightened us and we have been told and we verily believe it is true that what we experienced in 2020 and 2021 and are still experiencing at this time are situations that are likely to become more frequent and even more harsh… the model that we use to feed ourselves today and in the recent past is a model where we wait to have our food come to us, bought as produced by others, and we afford ourselves the opportunity to buy it. It was never always so. It was a model that has developed over time and has reached a point of strangulation now,” he said, while encouraging the production and consumption of more local food.
Rowley sad that there has been very little interest in farming over the years, hence the reason there is a push to get younger people more interest in farming.
“…I’m pleased to announce the excitement that I see among young people in Trinidad and Tobago in programmes here in Trinidad where there is a Ministry of Youth Development, where already some of our young people have gone to Guyana and met their colleagues and they’re on the farm there and excited to get it going. We need to support them
“We’ve gone past the stage where the Universities of Guyana, University of the West Indies and University of Trinidad and Tobago are luxuries and ivory towers. They need to get involved in helping us solve these problems,” Rowley said.
He noted that if the region is to become self-sufficient, it will involve some displacement and replacement. He explained that the region will be required to replace its supply from outside of the region adding that importers could be facing competition with local produce. Rowley was quick to say that there may be some objections within CARICOM to local supplies replacing imported goods. “…but if we do not aim to replace the important supply with local supply then we are condemning ourselves to the vagaries of the ups and downs of the international market and we will not be able to look after ourselves. That is why today I joined my colleagues who spoke before [in] an appeal to the private sector not to be resistant to these developments and these initiatives, but to get on board and be the distributor of the local produce and rather than be the commission agent of the imported produce,” Rowley charged.
He urged the private sector to utilize the available time to change the formula of trade in the region.