With the issue of food security very much on the front burner for CARIFORUM states, the European Union (EU) is stepping in to assist the region in this regard.
A statement from the EU Global Gateway and CARIFORUM (CARICOM plus the Dominican Republic) yesterday announced that the European body is providing some €19 million to enhance the resilience and sustainability of food systems in the Caribbean, promoting food and nutrition security, particularly for groups in vulnerable situations. It explained that this is part of a larger EU €600 million effort to step up support to the most vulnerable African, Caribbean and Pacific countries hit by the global food crisis.
The European assistance package is being administered by the EU-CARIFORUM Food Security Programme which was launched yesterday in Guyana. The ceremony was attended by Secretary General of CARICOM/CARIFORUM, Dr Carla Barnett, and Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, who was representing President Irfaan Ali, lead head for Agriculture, Agricultural Diversification and Food Security in the CARICOM Quasi Cabinet.