CARICOM Countries Progressing Towards 25 Per Cent Food Import Bill Reduction by 2025

Strides are being made by CARICOM countries to reduce the region’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.

CARICOM’s Assistant Secretary-General of Economic Integration, Innovation and Development, Joseph Cox, provided an update on measures being implemented by several countries, while addressing members of the Rotary Club of New Kingston’s virtual meeting on Friday (October 20).

“We are at the midpoint for the 25 by 2025 programme and, in that regard, I am pleased to report 11.9 per cent growth in agriculture for Guyana, with growth in all subsectors in the year 2022. I am pleased to report a 17 per cent growth in agriculture in Jamaica for 2022. I am also pleased to report increased infrastructural investment and expenditure in Guyana, St. Lucia, Barbados, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Montserrat,” he said.

Mr. Cox also reported that there has been an increase in budgetary allocations for agriculture across all member states.

“I’m pleased to report a US$2 million tuna expansion project in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I am pleased to indicate that in Guyana, soya bean production has expanded by 1,000 acres,” he informed.

Mr. Cox noted that improvements in lab facilities in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, and St. Lucia have been crucial, pointing out that there has been the introduction of high tech berry production in Trinidad and Tobago.

He pointed out that there has been a regional wide increase in training and capacity building.

The Assistant Secretary-General said effective partnerships and collaborations have been critical to the success of the 25 by 2025 initiative.

These include the Black Belly Sheep Project between Guyana and Barbados; the export of soyabean meal to Trinidad and Tobago from Belize; advancement of the regional food terminal between Guyana and Barbados and Suriname; and increasing cross border investments, training and technical assistance, spanning Guyana, Belize, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Mr. Cox said strategic partnerships and continued investments are critical in ensuring that the 25 by 2025 strategy’s objectives are being implemented and urged stakeholders to reaffirm their commitment to the implementation of the initiative.

Implementation of the CARICOM Agri-Food Systems Strategy in the member states is expected to help achieve the 25 by 2025 target, by giving special attention to priority crops and products, such as poultry, corn, soya, meat (goat, sheep, beef), and rice and niche vegetables, which are highly imported products in the region.

This is outlined in a document titled: ‘Regional Food Production and Productivity Towards a Sustainable Import Replacement Programme: 25% by 2025 Reduction in the Regional Food Bill’.

The document also states that for the period 2018-2020, the top five importing countries in the region were: Haiti – US$3.161 billion; Jamaica – US$1.2 billion; Trinidad and Tobago – US$1.08 billion; Bahamas – US$555.6 million, and Barbados – US$407.6 million.