The Government of Guyana and the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) yesterday signed a US$18 million financing agreement to kickstart the Agricultural and Infrastructural Development Programme (AIDP), which will see over 4,300 farmers across the ten regions of Guyana benefitting, with forty per cent of the beneficiaries being women and youth. The programme will allow for a further boost to Guyana’s agriculture sector in the form of support for compliance with food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary standards in the sector.

Ambassador David Prendergast, Director, Sectoral Programmes at the CARICOM Secretariat, has highlighted the positive results of the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) 25 x 2025+5 Initiative.

He identified the key advancements in the approval and implementation of the Trade Policy for Animal and Animal Products (TPAAP), Regional Agricultural Health and Food Safety Policy, Sanitary and Phyto Sanitary (SPS) Guidelines for Trade in 19 special agricultural commodities, and the Alternate SPS Dispute Settlement Mechanism.

The private sector in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) must take the lead in strengthening regional food security, driving economic development, and stimulating investment in the agriculture sector.

Representatives and focal points from the agricultural sector in CARICOM, on Tuesday, began training on an electronic market information system that is scheduled to be activated by April month-end. The system is intended to provide timely and accurate information about the availability of commodities on the regional market.

The Caribbean Community Secretariat continues to make advances in its quest to encourage the Region’s youth to become more involved in the agriculture sector.

Last year, the Secretariat consolidated its approach to youth with several targeted programmes including the continuation of the ‘I am CARICOM: Youth in agriculture’ programme, and the introduction of a climate-smart initiative that has benefitted youth and women.