(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Stakeholders of agri-business in the Caribbean will meet in Georgetown, Guyana next week to identify the levels of collaboration that are necessary in the short, medium and long term to move the sector forward.
On 27-28 May 2009 a Public-Private Consultation organized by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat will be held to facilitate dialogue between buyers and sellers of agricultural products. The Consultation will take stock of ongoing and planned programmes supported by relevant agencies to assess their significance to stakeholders, and will identify potential synergies and collaboration in the design and/or implementation of the programmes of the agencies.
The Consultation will be co-chaired by H.E. Irwin LaRocque, Assistant Secretary-General, Trade and Economic Integration, CARICOM Secretariat, and Mr. Al Powell, Executive Director, Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Jamaica, and Mr. Geoffrey DaSilva, Chief Executive Officer, Guyana Office for Investment (GOInvest).
Participation is expected from a wide cross-section of agriculture sector representatives, agencies and organizations, international development partners, large, small and medium enterprises.
Following the ceremonial opening which will include addresses by the Hon. Robert Persaud, Minister of Agriculture of Guyana, and H.E. Edwin Carrington, Secretary-General of CARICOM, an overview of the current Caribbean agro-industry will be presented by Dr. Carlisle Pemberton of the University of the West Indies, Mr. Anthony Sandana of the International Trade Centre (ITC), Mr. Vassel Stewart of the Trinidad and Tobago AgriBusiness Association (TTABA) and Mr. Rajesh Aggarwal, also of the ITC.
The overview will be followed by a Buyer-Seller Dialogue which will dominate the first day of the Consultation. The Dialogue will see participation from representatives of large small and medium enterprises, food and beverage manufacturing industries, restaurant and retail industries and agro-processors associations.
Over lunch, Mr. Vincent Atkins of the CARICOM Secretariat will address `The impact of the EPA on the agriculture sector and the implications for Agribusiness’.
Part of the morning session of the following day will be devoted to case studies, lessons learned and good practices and participants will hear from representatives of regional and international organizations including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation in Agriculture, NAMDEVCO and Oxfam, as well as the Cristiana Potato Growers Association of Jamaica. Participants will later move into working group sessions.
`The Status of the CSME and implications for Agri-Food trade’ will be the theme of the lunch presentation which will be delivered by Ms. Desiree Field-Ridley, CARICOM Secretariat’s Adviser Single Market and Sectoral Programmes.
The Consultation is expected to yield a collaborative framework agreement within which priority and concrete actions to be undertaken in the short-term (within six months), medium-term (within a year), and the longer-term will be outlined. The framework will also identify the agency/agencies responsible for spearheading these actions as well as required support mechanisms to ensure that there is follow through.
