Stakeholders wrap up Caribbean Week of Agriculture events today

Stakeholders from across the region drawn from the private and public sectors, wrap up a week of deliberations today on strategies for safeguarding and growing the Region’s Agriculture sector.

Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr Carla Barnett.

The October 7-11 exercise, hosted by this country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries saw stakeholders from across the region engaging in workshops and other sessions focussing on enhancing the Region’s food security under the theme: ‘Climate Smart Agriculture for a Sustainable Future’. Much attention was focussed in the wide array of issues on attainment of the goal of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) of reducing by 25 per cent, the Region’s food import bill by the year 2025.

The forum engaged people of all ages who are engaged or moving to become engaged in the various segments of the Agriculture sector.

Minister of Agriculture of St Vincent and the Grenadines Saboto Caesar.

Speaking on Monday, October 7, 2024 at the launch at The UWI Open Campus at Richmond Hill, Kingstown, Minister of Agriculture of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Saboto Caesar referred to the destruction caused particularly to crops and fisheries on July 1, 2024 by Hurricane Beryl. He said 98 per cent of the country’s bananas and plantains, as well as hundreds of fishing boats were destroyed.

“Our nation was taken to the brink of food insecurity,” he told those attending the opening of the 18th edition of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture.

The minister also underscored the importance of the education system, including agriculture programmes from preschool to tertiary levels that would include specific areas of climate change.

“This is not the time for anyone to be asking whether we drop Agriculture Science as a subject, but we must use the exigencies of our time to encourage more study in agriculture and fisheries at all levels,” he said.

The forum provides a regular forum for the key decision-makers in the public and private sectors within the Region to highlight the importance of agriculture and rural life to the economic, social, and environmental stability of CARICOM Member States, and also affords the major stakeholders in Agriculture and related sectors to have an opportunity to forge a common vision for the development of agriculture and the enhancement of rural life.

Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr Carla Barnett, who delivered remarks at Monday’s opening, stressed the need for CARICOM countries to identify and embrace new strategies, technologies and techniques, as well as the importance of navigating the environment affected by climate change to increase agricultural production, productivity and incomes in a sustainable manner.

She also noted the significance of this year’s Caribbean Week of Agriculture event in the context of CARICOM’s 25 by ‘25 strategy.
“We will not stop beyond 2025, we’re going to sit, take stock, renew our efforts to increase even further and set new targets as we move ahead,” she stressed.