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security.
At a media briefing, in his ministry’s Regent Road, Georgetown boardroom, Ramsammy said the discussion focused on achieving more effective and enhanced collaboration to
address a number of issues that have emerged from the Jagdeo Initiative.
Among the top priorities, he said, is the objective to lower the high food imports in the Caribbean.
“Under the Jagdeo Initiative, our Governments have been addressing the issue of high food importation bills and looking to see how, within our countries, we could produce
some of the things we import and, within the region we could collaborate with each other to reduce importation from outside of the region,” he stated.
He said various governments around the Caribbean are concerned about food importation bills, particularly after a rise in food prices in 2008 and the reminder in 2012
from the rising cost of certain commodities.
Ramsammy said, for example, Guyana can produce enough beef to sustain its local market instead of importing from outside of the Caribbean.
RESEARCH
In addition, he pointed out that, if Guyana succeeds in terms of its research and collaboration with Trinidad and other countries, it can produce crops like potato and
onion in large quantities, hence preventing and avoiding the importation of these high volume products from outside of the Caribbean region.
“That is one of the primary purposes that have driven the collaboration, the need for the Region to reduce its food importation. We are not proud of the fact that the
Caribbean has the distinction of being the worst sub-region in the world when it comes to food importation,” he asserted.
Ramsammy said, at least seven countries in the Region have an average importation bill of more than US$500 per capita. However, that of Guyana is approximately US$250
annually, which is still high since the average is US$66 per capita.
Furthermore, he indicated that they are also in discussions on reducing the high cost and constraints of transporting food, noting that, only a few weeks ago, Minister
Seemungal hosted a meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad, to address the issue of non-tariff barriers.
“In a community that is seeking free trade among ourselves, we all confess that, within our own borders, we have constraints that prevent free movement of food and other
commodities around. So, if we are going to work with each other to reduce importation, we will also have to make sure that our commodities can move through the borders without
too many difficulties,” he emphasised.
BARRIERS
Ramsammy commended Trinidad and Tobago for taking the lead in trying to address the non-tariff barriers, adding that Guyana is working very closely with Trinidad to
address some of these issues, including the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS).
“Some countries in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago being one of them, are a little bit more advanced than others and I believe that this is where we can work with each
other and we are discussing how we can help each other meet the highest possible Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards in a manner that is standardised around the CARICOM
countries,” he explained.
Ramsammy revealed that they are also talking about promoting research in terms of agricultural development in the region and Guyana’s Rice Research Centre is probably the
most advanced of its kind in the Caribbean, with some new varieties emanating from it, including the first line of aromatic rice which is now being produced in Guyana.
He said, however, that as advanced as it is, it can still benefit from support through other countries and urged that centres of excellence be developed across the
region, where people will go rather than trying to duplicate each other and, similarly, Trinidad will work with Guyana in those areas that are already well underway.
Ramsammy also announced that there are some more specific projects which the two governments will be collaborating on in the near future but neither ministers are at
liberty to divulge much details, without consulting with their respective Cabinets.
He revealed, though, that one of the areas of collaboration is agro-processing and the production of value-added produce, noting that Trinidad is advanced in this area.
Additionally, he said that in the near future he will be convening a meeting of stakeholders in the aquaculture business and, particularly, private entrepreneurs to
explore the possibility of exporting tilapia to Trinidad and Tobago which presently imports same from China.
MANDATED
Meanwhile, Seemungal said his Prime Minister Mrs. Kamla Persad-Bissessar has mandated the Administration and, particularly, the ministers in the Ministry of Food
Production to reduce the country’s food import bill by 50 percent.
He said Trinidad and Tobago does not have the land space to come close to what Guyana is doing as it relates to food production but does have various knowledge based
facilities which Guyana can rely on.
“There is no need for the Caribbean to keep re-inventing the wheel all the time. There is no need for us to keep looking in places out of the Caribbean at this stage,”
Seemungal said.
He said, therefore, that the aim is to create various avenues whereby the knowledge based type individuals and persons can remain in the Caribbean to help develop these
facilities.
Seemungal noted that Guyana has done a tremendous amount of research in some of the areas that Trinidad has not been exploring, especially in the area of rice research.
“I was quite impressed with the rice research facility. I think it is one of the best that I’ve seen. It can be compared to Brazil and Japan, in terms of what you all
have done and what you all are capable of doing in terms of sustaining that rice industry that you have,” he admitted.
The Trinidadian said the Trinidad Cabinet has approved funding to implement a tilapia processing plant which will create a market for the fish grown in the Caribbean.
