Regional food security efforts bearing fruit – CARICOM

…as CARICOM records significant investment opportunities in Region’s poultry industry

The Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) 25 by 2025+5 Initiative has begun to yield significant results, according to Director of Sectoral Programmes, Ambassador David Prendergast at the CARICOM Secretariat. CARICOM recently highlighted the outcomes he addressed in a press release. Ambassador Prendergast identified key advancements, including the approval and implementation of the Trade Policy for Animal and Animal Products (TPAAP), the Regional Agricultural Health and Food Safety Policy, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Guidelines for trade in 19 specific agricultural commodities, and the Alternate SPS Dispute Settlement Mechanism.

“We are also seeing progress in areas such as the introduction of a regional agricultural insurance product, increased cross-border investment, greater resource mobilisation and coordination towards the implementation of the 25 by 2025 Initiative, increased private sector involvement, and large-scale private sector investment in sectors such as dairy, small ruminants, soya, and poultry production,” he stated.
He further noted increased agricultural production in Member States through the introduction of new and niche crops, the development of a Regional Electronic Agriculture Market Information System, the establishment of a US$100 million fund for regional agriculture, and the Caribbean Food Systems Investment Initiative (CFSII). In terms of securing the future of the agriculture sector, Ambassador Prendergast drew attention to the engagement of young people through the development of a Regional Youth in Agriculture Strategy and the establishment of a Youth Advisory Council.
“These initiatives, along with the introduction of new technologies, technical assistance programmes, enhanced alignment among development partners, and investments in cold storage and greenhouse technology, are collectively driving us towards greater food and nutrition security,” he added.
Meanwhile, as CARICOM continues its quest to achieve food and nutrition security, significant investment, employment, and agro-processing opportunities in the poultry industry have been identified.
Programme Manager for Agriculture and Agro-Industrial Development, Shaun Baugh at the CARICOM Secretariat, stated that the poultry industry—the region’s largest agro-industrial enterprise—presents vast opportunities for employment generation, wealth creation, and increased economic activity. These include the creation of new industries, primary production, import replacement, manufacturing, intra-regional trade, digitalisation, and e-commerce.
He pointed to specific investment opportunities in feed and hatching egg production, as well as in value-added products such as chicken wings, nuggets, sausages, pre-cooked and marinated chicken, and cold cuts. The estimated new investment injection into the industry stands at US$12 million per year in areas such as hatcheries, processing plants, feed mills, tunnel-ventilated housing, and human resource development.
Speaking at the Caribbean Poultry Association (CPA) symposium in Jamaica on 14 May, Baugh emphasised the importance of poultry and table eggs—both key priorities under the Region’s “25 by 2025+5” Food Security Initiative, which aims to reduce the food import bill by 25 per cent by 2030.
With an estimated annual gross industry sale of over US$500 million, poultry has surpassed sugar and rice to become the largest agro-industrial enterprise in the Caribbean. The sector employs more than 75,000 persons directly and stands as the largest generator of small businesses and rural entrepreneurship. Notably, 82 per cent of all animal protein consumed in the Caribbean comes from poultry, underscoring the regional demand for the product, Baugh noted.