Grow more breadfruit, region advised
Authorities in Caribbean countries are being asked to plant more breadfruit trees in order to improve food security.
Sedley Michael McLaughlin, Co-Founder of the Trees that Feed Foundation, issued the call on Wednesday. The organization specializes in planting fruit trees to feed people, create jobs, and benefit the environment.
He believes that the breadfruit tree, which requires minimal maintenance and yields more than 150 breadfruits every season on average, should be considered as a primary food source, especially since it might be used to replace some imported commodities.
“This is something we’re working on. “There are significant benefits to developing breadfruit for its nutrition and ease of cultivation in the climates that we have in the Caribbean, as well as the fruit trees,” McLaughlin added.
On Thursday, he was one of three panelists at the Central Bank of Barbados’ Caribbean Economic Forum, which was conducted under the subject Addressing Food Security in the Caribbean.
The Trees That Feed Foundation has begun work to plant more breadfruit trees in a number of countries, including Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and Ghana, and McLaughlin said his organization was attempting to persuade governments, entrepreneurs, farmers, and individuals to value the versatile fruit more.
He stated that there was already a strong level of desire to collaborate with private firms among the governments involved.
“I actually believe that will be the magic that will help to solve a lot of these [food insecurity] problems.” Governments often have resources, whereas private enterprise has the creative spirit and possibly the financial expertise required for this to operate,” McLaughlin explained.
“There has to be someone making a profit, or you’ll be looking for subsidies indefinitely, which won’t work.” Now I can say that I see more effort being put into public/private collaborations [as well as] increased awareness.”
According to Joseph Cox, Assistant Secretary-General for the Directorate of Economic Integration, Innovation, and Development at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, the need to address food insecurity has become even more pressing in recent years due to changing weather patterns, more floods, droughts, and extreme temperatures.
He believes breadfruit should be utilized in place of numerous foreign commodities. However, he stated that it may require “a reintroduction” to the younger generation, and that the issue of praedial theft would also need to be addressed.
“So, while we’re looking at these things and there are significant opportunities – and I absolutely welcome the idea of planting fruit trees and so on because there is a lot of potential there for it,” Cox said.
