Agriculture Minister Wants Infusion of Technology to Boost Productivity

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, says he wants to see action driving genuine transformation in the agricultural sector across the region.

“That means infusing technology to make us more productive. [This includes] climate-smart technology, and right now we are seeing a lot of different models such as low-scale models that are being designed right here in the region. For example, we are seeing the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) doing 3D printing to do aquaponic set-ups that we want to see how we can expand and export across the region. So, I am hopeful that we are laying the foundation for transformation,” he told JIS News in an interview on September 28, at this year’s staging of CARICOM’s Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA).

Being held at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny from September 27 to October 2, the Week will feature more than 70 technical sessions showing innovations, advancements and facilitating conversations in Agriculture.

Meanwhile, the Minister emphasised that it is now time for seamless trade for agriculture across the region.

“I think it’s now time that we take a strategic approach to regional food security, [identify] which country will do what and in what proportion. I want us to leave with those concrete Agenda items. Additionally, we have to deal with regional transport because to break down the barriers to regional trade, we have to have a logistics system that works for the region,” he said.

Each day the conference – now in its 20th year – opens with a plenary session followed by multiple technical sessions.

The second hosting of the CARICOM event in Jamaica is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining.

Minister Green said at the root of all the conversations, clear outcomes must be achieved in the context of the Vision 25 by 2025 plus 5 agenda.

“We want to achieve some clear outcomes, especially around blended financing options for our farmers across the region. Thankfully, the World Bank was there, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),” he noted.

“We spoke about not just looking at the box of options that were already there but designing a Caribbean specific option facility that can really reach our small farmers. Most of our countries have small farmers operating on small plots that are very vulnerable. We have to come up with a financing model that works for them. In practical terms, the other outcome is to see how we can infuse technology to improve productivity across the region,” he explained.

For more information on the CWA, persons can visit cwa2026.caricom.org/.