- NORMAN GRINDLEY/Staff Photographer
Dr. Chelston Brathwaite (right), director-general of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, greets Cedric Liburd, St. Kitts minister of housing, agriculture fisheries and consumer affairs, at the meeting of forum of ministers of agriculture yesterday at Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston.
AGRICULTURE MINISTERS from across the Caribbean are hoping to come to an agreement today on the actions the region should take to revitalise the sector.
The ministers and other regional stakeholders began discussions on the state of agriculture in the region at a two-day forum which got under way at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, yesterday.
Representatives from the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) are also present.
"To be a meaningful economic factor in the future, agriculture in the region must adjust rapidly," Jamaica's Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke told the gathering.
STRENGTHENING REGIONAL GROWTH
Minister Clarke, who is hosting the forum, added that such adjustment will require the input of all stakeholders.
The major item on the agenda is a discussion of the document 'Strengthening Regional Agriculture for Sustainable Growth and Development: A Proposed Framework for Repositioning the Agriculture Sector'. The document represents a submission from Guyanese President Bharrett Jagdeo, who is CARICOM's lead person for agriculture.
President Jagdeo's submission was in turn based on recommendations made by the forum of agriculture ministers after it looked into a report, prepared by IICA with the support of the FAO, on the situation and outlook of agriculture and rural life in the Caribbean.
WAITING FOR APPROVAL
The report provided directions for the repositioning of agriculture in the region and the subsequent 'Jagdeo Initiative' was endorsed by regional heads of government at the 25th regular meeting held in Grenada in July 2004.
"Once agreement is arrived at, a summary of the proposals and recommendations will be presented to President Jagdeo for his consideration and subsequently that of the colleague Heads," Mr. Clarke said.
He added: "Once approval is obtained from the Heads, then a series of actions will be undertaken to implement the programmes and actions that are suggested."
During the forum, the agriculture ministers are also slated to discuss an IICA document on establishing a system to minimise the effects of natural disasters on the agricultural sector of Caribbean countries. That document was prepared in the wake of last year's devastating hurricane which put a major crimp on agricultural production in the region.
