The populace of the Caribbean Community is encouraged to take advantage of a multi-billion market opportunity to create new industries that will lead to new economic prospects, intra-regional trade and cross-border investments.

Shaun Baugh, CARICOM Programme Manager, Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Development, referenced the multi-billion-dollar opportunity as he explained how the Region intends to achieve its goal of reducing its US$6B food imports by 25 per cent by 2025.

“It simply means taking our destiny into our own hand, looking at our food systems and starting to transform them. It requires legislation; it requires policy; it involves the … participation of everyone, every single CARICOM citizen because there is one thing in life that you must remember: everybody must eat. So, it affects every single CARICOM citizen,” he said.

In a recent interview ahead of the Forty-Sixth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Georgetown, Guyana, in February, during which the Region’s food security drive was a major matter that was discussed, Mr. Baugh pointed to ways in which the 25 by 2025 strategy is galvanizing action on the agriculture front.

“We see countries setting up logistics hubs; we see countries setting up ferries; we see countries investing in countries that never happened before on a great scale. We now identify those Member States that are best suited to plant particular crops and rear particular animals. We’ve seen research taking place and we’re seeing the private sector invested… because as a Region we have demonstrated the seriousness that we place on food security,” Mr. Baugh said.

You may listen to part of the interview here: