GUYANA was the subject of much attention over the past few days- not because of its prolific oil and gas resources but because of the country’s leading efforts at advancing food security efforts across the Caribbean region.

That attention came as the country hosted the Agriculture Investment Forum and Expo from May 19 to 21 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre at Liliendaal, Georgetown. It was an event that brought together Caribbean governments, regional and international agencies, and private sector players- all fundamentally interested in one goal: growing more food in the Caribbean.

Certainly, each set of stakeholders had their associated interests, be it reaping more profits or cultivating a happier and healthier population. Even with these varying interests stimulating the pursuit of growing more food, there is no doubt that the focus on food security, particularly in the Caribbean, is crucial.

You don’t need to look any further than the surging cost of flour these past few months to understand why we need this focus on food security in traditional and non-traditional food production areas. That price hike has been linked to the Ukraine/ Russia crisis as both of those countries are major global producers of wheat.

Now, nothing screams my East Indian heritage more than the way I love roti. The only reason I don’t eat roti at every meal is that preparing it is such a tedious task. Therefore, this particular price is one that resonated with me, as it has with so many more of us who enjoy roti, pasties, and all other flour-based products.

Until now, intentions to produce flour locally may have been thwarted by the unsuitable prevailing climatic conditions. Yet, with the crisis starkly illustrating just how vulnerable a small, price-taking market like Guyana is, there is a fervent thrust to find ways to produce wheat locally. If successful, this could help to stabilise prices for this beloved product.

As was the case with wheat, supply chain challenges emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic and exacerbated by the Ukraine/Russia crisis meant that the Caribbean region- a region that largely imports inflation and is forced to accept higher costs of goods- grappled with surging food import prices.

Let us, for a second, appreciate that Caribbean leaders have lamented the region’s more than US $4 billion food import even before the pandemic. In the absence of empirical data, one can easily assume that this food import bill may have grown significantly during the recent economic crises. Not only is the hefty bill a problem, but the fact remains that it is much more difficult for Caribbean governments to control and/or cushion the surging prices of imported goods, like food, for their citizens.

These woes directly impact food security efforts. In the first instance, supply chain challenges may lead to lower imports which can mean that there is less available food for people to consume. Then, consider that a lower supply- with people’s demand remaining constant or possibly increasing- would drive prices up. And can you imagine what that means for people grappling with a higher cost of living, or at best, just trying to recover from the well-ventilated ramifications of the economic crises? Suffice to say, ‘tings’ lookin’ brown.

Now when you consider the foregoing, I think one can appreciate Guyana’s efforts in rallying Caribbean countries around the goal of “25 by 2025” – that is, reducing the Caribbean’s food imports by 25 per cent by growing more food within the region, by 2025. And when you look at the conference and the stakeholders present, one can earnestly hope that there is enough support- be it political will and investments- to allow the region to achieve its 25 by 2025 goal.

Already, during this year alone, Guyana has deepened agricultural partnerships with Barbados. The two countries are expanding the region’s mutton production through the black belly sheep initiative. The two countries are also forging ahead with the creation of a food terminal that would allow Guyanese products to be easily marketed on the Eastern Caribbean island.

But much more needs to be done. The removal of intra-regional trade barriers, for example, should be a priority; and other Caribbean countries should jump at the idea of harnessing Guyana’s vast, arable lands to boost production. If so, maybe we may be able to withstand some of the challenges from the next global economic crisis much better.

If you would like to connect with me to discuss this column or any of my previous works, feel free to email me at vish14ragobeer@gmail.com