Good afternoon and welcome to the grounds of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries.
In 2005, my Ministry started to design a more comprehensive National Agricultural Health and Food Safety System. Many parts of the system were already available and in operation, like legislation, institutional facilities, inspections, trace-back systems and veterinary services. But there was also awareness that more work needed to be done towards a more integrated safety system. We also felt the need to have more complete lab facilities available. We have three distinctive sub-systems in place, one for plants, one for animal husbandry and one for fisheries. So, in the first instance, we planned for three separate and independent laboratories.
The fisheries sub-system was the most advanced, having modern legislation in place, accommodated in a new independent Fish Inspection Institute, having management- and monitoring plans available, and performing quality controls. This fisheries sub-system for health and food safety is such that Suriname can comply with the standards of the highest demanding markets and is able to export fish and shrimps to Europe, the USA, Japan, the Caribbean and China.
But other lab facilities, like a veterinary lab and a residu monitoring lab were also necessary. During those days in 2006, it seemed complicated and difficult to establish an integrated lab with all services under the same roof and the same management.
But some time in 2007, my ministry’s management had developed a proposal for one single food safety lab, accommodating the facilities to provide services to all sub-sectors. It was this good proposal that was adopted and we started construction of the integrated lab.
In all CARICOM member states there are provisions to take care of food safety. For the further development of own agricultural production and the protection of consumers it is imperative to have complete and simple systems in place. Even more important is that the food safety agencies in the member countries are linked to each other and communicate, and are being harmonized.
This will be in strong support of intra-regional trade and economic integration. And it will support the further development of agriculture in our countries.
We have experienced the difficulties in trade of agricultural products with the examples of the margarine exports, the problems with exports of patties (also on the agenda for the COTED of tomorrow) and the difficulties in exports of meat.
The steps that we had taken in Suriname, provided a solid base to offer to the CARICOM in 2007, with confidence, to host the regional agency for agricultural health and food safety, CAHFSA. Investments had started by then and we were able to offer to make the new facilities also available to the regional agency.
It became a matter of extending the facilities to the Region. We acquired more equipment, and of course created more space. I want to take this opportunity to thank all who have assisted us in these efforts to make these investments.
A year ago, in March 2009, Dr. Carrington visited us, and we were able to give him a presentation on the plan for CAHFSA, and showed him the investments that were made in the lab facilities. Later that year, I also had colleague minister Robert Persaud from Guyana visiting the integrated lab under construction. In August last year, the CARICOM Heads of State and Government supported the proposal to establish CAHFSA in Suriname. I thank the CARICOM leaders for having made that decision. Last October, I met ambassador LaRocque in Jamaica and we made arrangements with the CARICOM Secretariat for the inauguration.
The success of CAHFSA will depend on cooperation amongst member countries of the Region. This means, among others, the ability to coordinate national and regional institutions, the private sector and consumers.
No doubt that CAHFSA will closely collaborate with CROSQ (the Regional Standards Bureau), the national Bureaus of Standards, the national SPS agencies, and the yet to be established Caribbean Regional Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
It is a great honour to have you all here today, in our country of rain and sunshine.
Thank you.
