A leading Jamaican businessman is suggesting that the Caribbean tackle the emerging food crisis by converting lands previously used for banana and sugarcane into the production of other crops.

Dr Marshall Hall, a noted expert on bananas, also suggested that the plan would require investment in support infrastructure in the individual territories, and beyond that, the development of a regional transportation network.

"Agriculture is very important to us and the current food crisis, as well as the views of a lot of people, suggest that funding and alternative use for any displaced land is simple - grow food," said Hall as he delivered the annual William G. Demas Memorial Lecture, an annual feature of the Caribbean Development Bank Board of Governors meeting, held this week in Halifax, Canada.

Domestic agriculture

But he also said the infrastructure to support large scale domestic agriculture was not well developed in CARICOM, something he said the region needed to address if it was serious about being able to feed itself.

"There are deficiencies in road transportation, refrigeration and marke-ting outlets," Hall said.

"The existing farming community complains annually about the lack of markets for their crops during peak harvesting periods and the hotels and supermarkets about shortages for the same foods during off-peak periods.

"The encouragement and support for food production must be matched by the infrastructure development if the domestic food market is to be a genuine alternative for sugar and banana lands," he added.

Hall said that as the region's tourism sector grew the demand for a complete range of locally grown foods and meat would also increase, but he said the lack of proper infrastructure would discourage the consideration of serious and extensive food crop production.

He also said that sea transportation was particularly important for the movement of produce and goods, adding that the region was totally dependent on the international shipping lines moving goods from the north to the Caribbean.

As for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy (CSME), Hall said that it would not work if CARICOM fails to adequately address the issue of regional transportation.

Not a customs union

"The CSME is not yet a fully fledged customs union in the sense that all 15 ports of entry have their own fee structure and their own entry requirements. For the CSME to be truly successful, the harmonisation of these logistics costs must be addressed on a regional basis focusing on port efficiencies and common fee structures," the Jamaican economist said.

"I suspect that removing these rigidities might do more for growth and development than the freeing up of the movement of labour," he added.

Hall last year gave over the management of Jamaica's largest banana production outfit, Jamaica Producers Group, to his son Jeffrey Hall, but remains involved in the sector through the state-run Banana Export Company.

He is also a member of the council of the University of the West Indies.