(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Ladies and Gentlemen, A pleasant morning. I am honoured to have been afforded this opportunity to make these remarks at this Conference on the Jagdeo Initiative on behalf of the Secretary-General of CARICOM who offers his sincere regrets that he could not be here this morning as he is out of the country.
Allow me first to acknowledge and commend the Ministry of Agriculture and by extension, the Government of Guyana for taking the initiative to host this seminar at a time when Guyana observes Agriculture Month in October, the FAO observes World Food Day in October and the Caribbean Community celebrates the Eleventh Caribbean Week of Agriculture this year in Antigua & Barbuda during the week of the 15 – 20 October.
Mr. Chairman, while I would imagine that this conference will address primarily the interests of Guyana and the progress it has made with regard to the Jagdeo Initiative, I am positive that, in so doing, it will bring into the forefront critical issues that are of special interest to the entire Caribbean Community.
The Jagdeo Initiative was conceptualized at a time when the Community was seeking to maximize its potential in agriculture by developing interventions to remove the constraints to progress in the sector. That thrust is as important now as it was back then, given the Region’s burgeoning food import bill, the sustained high in food prices, the risks associated with climate change, and the current global financial crisis. All of these challenges directly impact on the additional thrust and focus of the Community on food and nutrition security and combating non-communicable diseases and impose new challenges to the alleviation measures regarding the constraint of of limited financing and inadequate investment in agriculture.
It is clear that most of the challenges and constraints to Agriculture and Rural Development in our Region are beyond the capabilities of any single Member State to resolve on its own. You will agree, these constraints are by no means modest. Failure to address them cannot be an option. We are confident that steady progress in addressing the Jagdeo Initiative constraints both at the national and regional levels will open the gateway to vast profitable opportunities for the Region’s producers.
The CARICOM Secretariat cognizant of the need to accelerate the pace of the Jagdeo Initiative, is actively involved in assessing and evaluating the mechanisms set up to coordinate and provide the recommendations on the interventions aimed at addressing the identified constraints. In that regard, the 38th Special Meeting for the COTED (Agriculture), had agreed that the Secretariat should convene a meeting of the of the Member States, at the level of Permanent Secretaries, Chief Technical Officers and Heads of Lead Agencies in November, 2011, in Guyana, to review the implementation mechanisms and other matters relevant to the execution of the Jagdeo Initiative. One of the central findings of that meeting was the need for a “Projectised” approach to the way the Jagdeo Initiative is managed, with emphasis being placed on quantifiable indicators, realistic timelines, monitoring supported by regular standardized reporting by Member States. Since that meeting, the Secretariat has been working together with Ministries of Agriculture and the lead agencies to revamp the implementation mechanism and put in place clear guidelines for the functioning of each aspect of the Jagdeo Inititiatve.
I would like to pause here, Mr. Chairman, to note that in the quasi cabinet of CARICOM Heads of Government, the President of Guyana is the Lead Head of Government with responsibility for Agriculture, and in the Jagdeo Initiative, the Minister of Agriculture of Guyana is the Minister charged with leading the alleviation measures with respect to the constraint of ‘Inadequate Land and Water Resource Management and Distribution Systems’. I therefore to acknowledge the sterling efforts of the Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and the Ministry of Agriculture of Guyana in support of both charges. I would also like to commend the FAO, which under the Jagdeo Initiative is also charged with being the Lead Agency driving the alleviation measures for ‘Inadequate Land and Water Resource Management and Distribution Systems’. The work of the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), and specifically its representative in Guyana, Dr. Lystra Fletcher-Paul, must be commended for the enthusiasm, technical facility and tireless efforts in moving the process along.
Mr. Chairman, even as we recognize that much work remains to be done in addressing the constraints to efficient land, water distribution and management systems, the Secretariat continuously seeks to inject the best practices and experiences learned from this committee as part of the thrust to augment dynamism in the wider Jagdeo Initiative.
Mr Chairman other existing and future agricultural development programmes and projects of the CARICOM Secretariat will complement and in some instances support the activities and work being undertaken in the Jagdeo Initiative. Some of these relate to
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Taking effective action, both to mitigate the effects of climate change, to adapt to its consequences and to deal with recurring natural disasters such as drought, floods and hurricanes.
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Support to the Production-Trade/ Value Chain – to emphasise increased production and trade by cross border investments, public/private sector partnerships, agro-processing and sectoral linkages
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Rural modernization and youth programmes – to give special emphasis to indigenous, marginalised/disadvantaged groups, rural urban migration, migration, ICT, Rural attractiveness
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A modern agricultural knowledge and information system – to give special emphasis to Market information systems (Database, Production stats) and Capacity building (Research and development, Technology transfer and extension, HR and institutions, Farmer absorptive capacity, Regional clearing house for information, ICT, Advocacy and public awareness/Info
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providing support to the development of an effective and efficient agricultural health and food safety regime both at the national and regional levels.
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Support to small holders private sector organizations, groups and networks in terms of capacity building.
Even in its optimism, the Secretariat is not oblivious to the challenges the Region faces in addressing the Jagdeo Initiative constraints. We are fully cognizant of these challenges and believe the imminent rolling out of the 10th European Development Fund Intra-ACP Policy Programme, under which the Jagdeo Initiative will receive much needed support, will go a far way in meeting some of these challenges.
Mr. Chairman, I take this opportunity to wish the Government of Guyana and all participants at this conference the very best in fruitful and productive deliberations as we jointly seek the goal of a transformed agricultural sector which contributes to the improved welfare of all our citizens in CARICOM, where one our guiding mandates is building a Community for all.
