The time has come again when the Region’s agricultural sector holds its premier annual event. This is the thirteenth Caribbean Week of Agriculture to have been held since it commenced in 1999 and every year the event has brought together participants in the agricultural sector in a number of fields ranging from producers themselves to scientific personnel to those with political responsibility.
The week also brings together our Ministers responsible for Agriculture under the umbrella of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) to review the progress being made in regional initiatives and to give directions for the future. In addition, they meet as the Board of Governors of the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), the Ministerial Council of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and also with various agriculture stakeholders including youth, women, academia, agri-business and farmers organisations in the framework of the ALLIANCE.
Let me express my gratitude to the Government and people of Suriname for hosting this year’s CWA. An event such as this requires the commitment of a significant amount of resources in terms of both funding and personnel. I am therefore sure that I speak on behalf of all participating organisations in commending Suriname, and in particular the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries for having taken on this task with such enthusiasm and efficiency. The Ministry is known for this. I was a witness on the 18 March 2010 when the Ministry was involved in the inauguration of another Agricultural activity.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, our Heads of Government have agreed to a Five-Year Strategic Plan for the Community. The Plan, inter alia, identifies Agriculture as one of the priority focal areas for propelling the Region in its efforts towards economic resilience and thus sustainable growth and development. This CWA provides the opportunity for further buy in of the agriculture stakeholders for its implementation, the recommendations having started with many of them including the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED).
One major challenge has been our ability to attract sufficient resources into the sector, which will have the effect of stimulating the required increases in production and productivity. In order for the sector to achieve its full potential, it is necessary for both the public and private sectors to play their part. CWA is therefore an opportunity for developing the appropriate policy and action recommendations to this end.
Working together, our supporting partners such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and CARDI together with CABA and CaFAN, our production organisations, will be rolling out comprehensive programmes that focus not just on improving yields, but in developing the entire set of links from farm to table.
Our theme for this CWA – `Transforming Caribbean Agriculture through Family Farming’ is particularly relevant for this Region. It also coincides with the United Nations declaration of 2014 as the `International Year of Family Farming’. Our agricultural sector consists mainly of small family farms, the challenge is to ensure that we have in place the appropriate policy and institutional framework that is supportive of family farming particularly with respect to education, technology, financing, marketing and other services. In this regard, we welcome the establishment of a Caribbean Family Farming Working Group supported by FAO, IICA, UWI and other bodies, which will address issues relating to the sustainable development of our family farms. In this regard we should also emphasise that urban planning is of utmost importance. Family farming also has positive social effects which impact not only the family but also Community lives. Family farming can also assist in the alleviation of poverty.
It is heartening to note that there will be focused attention on two(2) major cross cutting issues, those of Climate Change and Information and Communication Technology. We have to ensure that our agricultural sector is ready to adapt to the reality of climate change while adopting ICT to improve the performance of the sector. This week’s sessions on Climate-smart Agriculture and the Application of ICT in Agriculture are very relevant and timely as they serve to weave together areas within the Strategic Plan.
I am particularly impressed with the initiative called the AgriHack Talent Caribbean Programme in which our young people have been encouraged to develop computer applications that will be of practical use to our farming community. This is the sort of initiative that is so essential in helping to promote innovation in the sector while demonstrating to our young people that agriculture provides opportunities for them and that agriculture does not need to be practiced in the old ways and using the old methods.
I want to thank one of our reliable partners, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), which has been helping us to mainstream ICT in our agricultural development work.
Finally, I wish to refer also to the issue of agricultural health and food safety, which is another of this week’s topics. In that respect, many of you would have been aware of the Region’s efforts to establish the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA), which is the body charged with strengthening the Region’s systems in this area. On 18 March 2010, we had the inauguration of CAHFSA and after four (4) long years, I am therefore happy to announce that CAHFSA which is based in Suriname has now become operational with the appointment of its Chief Executive Officer. We trust that we will soon be able to make more progress with the appointment of additional core staff.
I also wish to recognize the contribution of Dr. Arlington Chesney which he has made to the Caribbean Week of Agriculture both as regional director of IICA and also as Executive Director of CARDI
In closing, let me again thank the Government of Suriname and all those who have collaborated in making CWA 2014 possible. I have no doubt that, with the excellent arrangements that have been put into place, this Week will be a productive and enjoyable one.
