PRESIDENT Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has re-affirmed Guyana’s willingness to collaborate with countries in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the wider Caribbean in ensuring food security. This commitment was made during a meeting of the CARICOM/Central American Integration System. In this regard, a meeting has been proposed between the Central American Agricultural Council (CAC) and CARICOM’s Special Ministerial Task Force on Food Production and Food Security currently chaired by Guyana.

These are significant developments in terms of the establishment of a regional and extra-regional food-security architecture that could result in a new and ambitious agenda to transform the regional agricultural sector towards full commercialization and enhanced competitiveness to better meet the food and nutrition needs of the Region.

As noted by President Ali, the Central American countries participating in the summit have great potential in terms of food security. Guatemala, for instance, has 25 per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) coming from agriculture and rank among the leading countries in the world when it comes to the production of sugar, coffee, banana and cotton, among other commodites. Honduras employs approximately 39 per cent of its people in the agricultural sector and enjoys a competitive advantage in crops such as plantains, rice and beans, among others.

It would be recalled that Guyana at one time under the PNC regime had to import sugar from Guatemala to satisfy local consumption needs after it had consistently failed to meet its sugar quota to the lucrative European market, due to incompetence and mismanagement of the sugar industry.  It is significant that Guatemala has agreed to assist Guyana in the current revitalisation efforts of the sugar industry. According to data from the International Sugar organisation, Guatemala is the second largest sugar exporter in the Latin America and the fifth in the world.

As observed by President Ali, the Central American region as a whole contributes half of the total value of regional exports in agriculture and food production.

“This tells us that the solution to food security and sustainability lies right in this room. What we require is the commitment and joint approach in addressing food security in the Region,” President Ali posited. In pushing the agenda forward, the President said, the CAC and CARICOM will marry the priorities of the Region and establish a time-bound framework in keeping with what CARICOM has decided at the 33rd Inter-Sessional Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government. This, according to President Ali, is an attempt to reach out to our friends in the broader hemispheric grouping.

Describing the opportunity provided at the joint meeting as a ‘low-hanging fruit’ which can bring real benefits to peoples across the Region, President Ali extended an invitation to CAC to attend the investment forum in Guyana in May as they seek to work together to employ the necessary technologies and resources to mobilise the expertise to advance the regional food agenda.

He noted that the summit should not only result in commitments to important areas such as climate change, food security, regional security, investments and trade expansion but, should also send a ‘strong’ signal in hitting the reset button.

President Ali has demonstrated that as a leader he is prepared, not only to ‘talk the talk’ but also to ‘walk the walk.’ For this he has earned the respect not only of the Guyanese people, but also that of regional leaders who have commended him for his visionary and proactive leadership style. The drive to boost the agricultural sector is most timely and relevant in light of global food shortages and rising food prices which are impacting adversely on the cost of living worldwide.

Guyana, despite its new status as an oil-producing nation, is continuing to place heavy emphasis on the agricultural sector. Agriculture in Guyana still remains the backbone of the economy in terms of employment opportunities and foreign exchange earnings. With Guyana taking a leading role in the regional and hemispheric agricultural development and expansion, it is only a matter of time before the country once again becomes the ‘breadbasket’ of the Caribbean.