–says PSC Chairman
–ferry service being considered to distribute produce across the Caribbean

IN order for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to achieve its 25 by 2025 food security targets, aggressive marketing and logistics strategies must be developed.
This is the contention of Komal Singh, the Chairman of Guyana’s Private Sector Commission (PSC). Singh was at the time addressing a mammoth gathering at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) on Friday, where the country’s third Agri- Investment Forum and Expo was launched.

“It is critical at this point in time that the private sector take the initiative to work on a more aggressive regional logistics approach where we can move our products and services easily around the region,” Singh said.

He reasoned that while progress has been made to increase production, marketing must now come into play to ensure that produce is circulated in the region.
“If we don’t include marketing and moving our finish product into the region then we will reach a stage where we are at a standstill and we cannot move our products to meet our consumers.”
He added: “Achieving this cannot be done in a tunnel vision; it requires a holistic approach including regional logistics that will allow us to move our product in a manner that is most convenient to all stakeholders while simultaneously improving efficiency.”

Meanwhile, Guyana’s Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, who chairs the special ministerial task force for food production and food security at CARICOM, disclosed that members had talks of introducing a ferry service to transport produce across the region.

“We are working aggressively with other countries; places like Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados, and I am hoping that we can reach an agreement where we can have a ferry to transport produce in the Caribbean.”

Regional governments, he said, will welcome private investors to explore the establishment of a ferry service for the region.
“If we have private investors and they can do it, that will be welcomed in the Caribbean; also government to government, we are looking to collaborate.”

Stakeholders from CARICOM and the regional private sector are expected to meet in October again, for the third Agri- Investment forum and Expo.
Back in 2022, at the 33rd Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM in Belize, it was announced that Guyana would host the region’s first agriculture Regional Agri-Investment Forum and Expo.

The regional conference was among several initiatives undertaken by the heads of government to reduce the region’s US$6 billion food import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025.