Caribbean must reorient trade routes to push Guyana-led food plan

There is much focus on the Guyana-led food plan of expanding food production in the Caribbean while cutting out expensive imports. And Finance Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Camillo Gonsalves believes that improved trade routes must be developed within the Caribbean to boost intra-regional trade.

If this is done, he says Caribbean countries ease their dependence on importing food from places like the United States of America (USA).

Gonsalves said this while speaking at a Caribbean Leaders’ Open Dialogue alongside Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali and other Caribbean stakeholders.

“All of our lines of trade travel from the Caribbean to North America. We import from Miami, the United Kingdom, we import from Canada and our food basket, what we eat, is heavily imported.

“… We have to tackle this issue at its root and that is why President Ali’s work in reducing the food import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025 is important and that is why some of the other issues he is discussing are critical,” Gonsalves lamented.

If Caribbean countries are to replace the food imported with food grown in the region, Gonsalves says regional trade must increase. And to increase trade, he believes easing intra-regional trade barriers is crucial.

“Guyana is the biggest swathe of arable land in the Caribbean and Brazil is already producing food and supplying the food needs of many countries in Latin America.

“We have to reorient our trade networks in that direction,” he said at the leaders’ dialogue.

The focus on easier trade comes as the region continues to grapple with a massive food import bill and rising costs for food and fuel amid supply challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine/ Russia crisis.

In response to these woes, Guyana- which has the lead responsibility for agriculture in the regional cabinet- is pursuing an aggressive food security agenda. Through this, CARICOM countries are expected to significantly increase the amount of food produced within the region.