Overhaul Caribbean’s agricultural transportation system, Green urges

WESTERN BUREAU:

Agriculture Minister Floyd Green is calling for an overhauling of the Caribbean’s agricultural transportation system, warning that the region cannot achieve food security if food cannot be moved efficiently and affordably between countries.

Green, who was speaking at Sunday’s opening of the 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), which is taking place in Trelawny, said the high cost and difficulty of transporting agricultural commodities across the region remain a major obstacle to building a more resilient and self-reliant Caribbean food system.

“We will not deliver regional food security if we cannot move agriculture efficiently and affordably across the countries that produce them in this region,” Green told delegates, noting that the region must now confront the long-standing problems surrounding shipping, logistics and sanitary requirements that can delay or restrict the movement of agricultural products.

“As such, shipping logistics, sanitary [measures] should now be alive.”

Green said improving regional transportation must form part of the transformation of Caribbean agriculture, particularly as countries seek to increase food production and reduce dependence on imports from outside the region.

He said the new face of Caribbean agriculture must also include greater access to financing for farmers, increased regional production of agricultural inputs, and accelerated adoption of climate-smart technologies.

Green also called for the establishment of a regional blended-financing facility to move capital into agriculture and help small farmers expand production.

“We must structure a regional blended-financing facility that can move capital to our agricultural sector to unlock our small farmers to do better across our islands,” he said.

He also argued that the region must increase its capacity to manufacture agricultural inputs, including fertiliser, rather than remain heavily dependent on external suppliers.

He noted that the urgency of these measures had been underscored by the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa on Jamaica’s agricultural sector, which he said suffered approximately $39 billion in damage.

Despite the devastation, Green said farmers and agricultural officials quickly mobilised to rebuild production, demonstrating the resilience of the sector, while nonetheless noting that the subsequent movement from severe shortages to periods of oversupply highlighted structural weaknesses that must be addressed.

“That again speaks to a structural challenge that we have to face here at this CWA. The true measure of CWA 2026 will not be in the quality of opportunity here in Jamaica, but what follows,” he said.

The conference, which is being held under the theme ‘New Face of Caribbean Food Systems’, will feature 80 technical sessions, high-level meetings, business engagements, exhibitions and trade shows.

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com