In an address to an Agri-Investment Forum and Expo on Friday in Guyana, President Irfaan Ali stressed the need for more food production in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Ali told the Department of Public Information in Guyana that CARICOM’s vision of reducing food imports by 25% by 2025 is no longer an objective or a dream, but a necessity driving global issues.
Globally, the war in Ukraine and its consequences are beginning to take a toll. “We don’t know where the end is, but every single citizen will be affected, and that’s why it must end as soon as possible,” Ali told his audience.
Ali argues that the drop in wheat and other produce production will affect the world’s cost and availability, so the time has come for the region to return to agriculture.
However, he explained that producing food for the region and achieving the intended goal was complex and multifaceted.
Several critical areas were outlined by him.
Finance, technology, partnerships, shared responsibilities, and women and youth inclusion are among the measures that bolster production and make it competitive globally.