ANTICIPATED to be the biggest event of its kind in the Caribbean, the Agri-Investment forum and expo will bring together around 150 exhibitors and 100 agro-processors, along with regional heads, investors, donors, and agriculture stakeholders.

On Tuesday, Guyana’s Zulfikar Mustapha revealed that at a press briefing at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

Mustapha, who currently chairs the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) ministerial taskforce on food security, told reporters that 60 per cent of booths have already been sold for the much-anticipated event.

“Once again our country, along with our CARICOM colleagues and investors, will put on display, individual and collective potentials to develop the regional agriculture sector,” Mustapha said.

The grand exposition will be held under the theme, “Achieving Vision 25 by 2025’ and will feature stakeholders from various countries across the world, along with local agro-processors who will showcase a diverse lineup of agricultural produce.

“As the host and lead country for agriculture within the region, Guyana is demonstrating an unwavering commitment to the development and modernisation of the sector while realising its potential of once again becoming the breadbasket of CARICOM.”

Mustapha further disclosed that several Caribbean officials and international partners have also signalled their participation in this year’s event.

The event is being held as (CARICOM) takes decisive steps to reduce its US$6B food-importation bill by 25 per cent in the next five years (25 by 25).

“New emerging prospects in CARICOM’s agriculture, including technological and logistical solutions will be in the spotlight.”

Mustapha further revealed that Guyana will be commissioning the region’s first and largest hydroponics farms on the sidelines of the event.

This project, he explained, was one of the many investment outcomes of the previous forum.

“Last year we would have seen [that] a number of investors had started to invest in various countries in CARICOM.”

At the 33rd Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM held in Belize back in 2022, it was announced that Guyana would host the region’s first agriculture Regional Agri-Investment Forum and Expo. The second was held in Trinidad & Tobago later that same year.

This year, in Guyana, the conference will be held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, from October 20-22.

Already CARICOM has achieved 57 per cent of its food production targets.

It was previously reported by the region’s Ministerial Taskforce that products such as cocoa, dairy, meat, root crops, fruits, and poultry have already reached 96.13 per cent, 84.36 per cent, 72.28 per cent, 70.91 per cent, 70.77 per cent, and 70.19 per cent respectively, for the targetted production volume set for the year 2025.

Moreover, countries such as Guyana, Belize, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Dominica, and Jamaica have made significant strides in the production of commodities such as ginger, turmeric, corn, soya bean, root crops, fruits, cocoa, poultry, meat, fish, table eggs, and dairy.

The taskforce had also indicated that, for 2022, Guyana produced some 20,195 tonnes of ginger and turmeric, 144,289 tonnes of root crops, 21,870 tonnes of fish, and 40,749 tonnes of coconut.

Already priority areas have been identified for 2023. These include agriculture insurance and financing, trade and E-agriculture, resource mobilisation, and trade support.