In the aftermath of the recent rampage by Hurricane Beryl, which has ravaged the agriculture infrastructure of several countries in the region, Trinidad and Tobago has recently sent signals that the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) plan to reduce its food import bill by 25% by 2025 would likely have been set back by the Hurricane and its aftermath.
With some territories in the region still in the process of trying to repair the worst excesses of Beryl’s recent rampage, the Trinidad and Tobago’s Guardian newspaper quotes acting Deputy Permanent Secretary, Denny Dipchansingh, as saying that the ravages of the hurricane have set back the region’s plan to accomplish what, until the advent of Beryl, had been a boisterously touted target of producing sufficient food to position the Caribbean to cut its food imports to the region by 25% by 2025.
The disclosure in Port-of-Spain that the impact of Beryl may have caused Trinidad and Tobago to have to set aside its 25×2025 ambition may well be a signal that the target, set for the region as a whole, may now have to be subjected to a comprehensive reassessment since Trinidad and Tobago, along with Guyana and Jamaica, are widely regarded as the regional leaders in food production.
Whether the recent disclosure in Port-of-Spain is now likely to lead to a formal announcement of adjustments to the region’s 25×2025 ambition remains unclear at this time. The broad hint dropped in Port-of-Spain regarding the likelihood that the ravages of Beryl could scuttle the region’s 25×2025 target is likely to apply even more strongly in other territories whose much more fragile agricultural sectors have suffered to a greater extent than that of Trinidad and Tobago.
Despite the news regarding the weakening of one of the region’s immediate-term food security ambitions, The Guardian report suggests that the prospects for the realization of the much-touted 25×2025 target may not have been set aside altogether. The report refers to an insurance product put in place “to protect Vision 25 by 2025 from its major threat of climate change” which aims specifically to:
– Protect and support regional smallholder farmers and fisherfolk, with scalability to include larger operators;
– Collaborate with public sector officials and experts to decrease reliance on the state over time;
– Leverage regional collective power to ensure the best pricing in the global reinsurance market; and
– Utilize technology to minimize the administrative burden on the state while enhancing governance and transparency.
The Guardian report quoted Dipchansingh as saying that the envisaged insurance product will “target livestock farmers, crop farmers, and fisherfolk, providing them with the necessary protection to continue their vital work.”
