(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkey, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) As World Food Day activities were being observed under the theme Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world’, agriculture officials on Tuesday met in Antigua and Barbuda in preparation for the Fortieth Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Agriculture which will be held on Friday.

The one-day Ministerial Meeting will be convened at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in St. John’s, Antigua, and is the final activity of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA).

With food and nutrition security being the common thread of activities of the Regional agriculture programme, and in the face of the rising cost of food, Ministers will tackle an agenda that addresses increasing agricultural production, with specific reference to agri-tourism, agri-business, the Jagdeo Initiative and the linking of small farmers to markets.

Discussions will also centre on trade in agricultural products with focus on the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA), sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures, climate change and its effects on agriculture and how the Region is responding to the phenomenon. Attention will also be placed on the role and needs of the private sector.