The CARICOM Secretariat, under the Agriculture Policy Programme (APP), is financing the development of a Policy and Action Plan for the Commonwealth of Dominica’s agriculture sector. This process, which is being led by the Ministry of Agriculture of Dominica and an APP-supported local consultant, has, to date, developed a first draft document which will be the subject of validation meetings from 9 -11 March, 2016, in Dominica.
Among the areas identified for priority intervention are: restructuring of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to enable greater focus on agri-business development; expanding existing banana, coffee, cocoa, and cassava production, as well as increasing the population of small ruminants e.g., goat, sheep and rabbit; building capacity for the creation of business entities; operationalising packaging houses and certification of standards; expanding physical infrastructure; rural development; foreign exchange earnings through exports; food and nutrition security and food safety; and, the preservation of the natural resource base.
Following these stakeholder validation meetings, a final Draft National Agriculture Policy and Action Plan is expected to be submitted for the consideration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry next month.
About the Agriculture Policy Programme (APP)
The APP Caribbean Action is funded under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) and executed through a Contribution Agreement signed between the European Union (EU) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). The APP is being implemented in collaboration with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the CARICOM Secretariat (CCS). The programme seeks to contribute to the enhancement of the regional (Caribbean and Pacific) and interregional capabilities of the agricultural sectors in eradicating poverty. The specific objective is to increase the capability of Regional Agricultural Development Organisations of the Caribbean and Pacific regions to address the development needs of smallholder agriculture.
The CARICOM Secretariat is administering Component 1 of the APP which focuses on strengthening Regional agricultural development strategy through inter alia support to the development and implementation of national and Regional agricultural sector policies and plans. The APP will deliver National Agriculture Policies/Plans to CARIFORUM Member States on the basis of expressed need. This intervention is intended to assist Member States to develop current policies/plans that respond to the current realities of respective national agriculture sectors, and which are aligned to the Caribbean Community Agriculture Policy (CAP).
For more information, please contact –
Dr. Ronnie Brathwaite
Deputy Programme Manager, Agricultural Development
CARICOM Secretariat
Guyana
