Transport, logistics integral to effective implementation of agenda – President Ali

Caricom agri-food systems
…says work ongoing to boost regional agricultural trade
President Dr Irfaan Ali has assured a regional sub-committee on the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Single Market and Economy (CSME) that in recognition of the importance of transport and logistics in trade, work is ongoing to mobilise resources.

He made this assurance during the Eleventh Meeting of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee, where he provided an update on the Special Ministerial Taskforce (MTF) on Food Production and Food Security.
President Ali reported that resource mobilisation has begun for the Regional E-Agriculture Strategy, and work is in progress for the development and implementation of both a Business-to-Business (B2B) Platform and a Government-to-Government (G2G) portal.
The President further explained that the successful hosting of the Caricom Regional Food Systems Dialogue on May 28, 2021, was in preparation for the United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit.
He explained that the Ministerial Taskforce had recognised transport and logistics as integral to the effective implementation of the Caricom agri-food systems agenda. According to him, there are options being explored.
“In examining the potential and competitiveness of the sector as you would have expected, transportation is one of the critical issues that is linked to food production and for regional trade,” President Ali stated.
To this end, Ali said he has engaged the Lead Head on Transport with a view to developing specific recommendations aimed at incentivising Private Sector interest and partnership in transport and logistics, in order to better serve the agri-food systems agenda.
He further outlined some options, including the formation of an all-purpose company, the floating of a regional bond, approaching the Private Sector window of the Caribbean Development Bank, approaching regional commercial institutions, international financial institutions such as the Export Import (EXIM) Bank.
Other options include inviting Expressions of Interest for financing, managing and operating a facility for regional transportation and logistics. Meanwhile, work will continue to explore an incentive regime to attach investment.
Apart from reporting on the April to June progress of the MTF, President Ali recommended that it be further considered at the Forty-Second Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government next month.
The Lead for Agriculture in Caricom meanwhile urged the committee to prioritise the work of the Ministerial Taskforce and was frank in his opening remarks to say that he will move forward with those who are serious about getting the work done.
This work includes taking the Caricom Agri-Food System Strategy forward. The implementation plans identified priority commodities such as poultry, other meats (beef, pork and mutton), corn, rice, niche vegetables and coconut products. He further stated that Caricom has the ability to achieve the targets identified to lower these priority commodity imports by 2025 and the potential to increase coconut exports.
The Caribbean Private Sector Organisation and the MTF led by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, have met and are in agreement with the priority commodities, focusing on poultry and niche vegetables for the short term.
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley meanwhile thanked the President for the speed in which he moved on the Food Production and Food Security Taskforce and urged all Member States to reinforce the issue of food security.
Other matters discussed included: implementation of the CSME, Update on the Comprehensive Review of the Common External Tariff (CET) and Community Rules of Origin, Supportive Macro-Economic Policy Environment, Implications of the CCJ Advisory Opinion to the opt Out Provisions of The Revised Treaty, Protocol to Amend the Revised Treaty to Allow Enhanced Cooperation Among Member States.
President Ali was accompanied by Minister Mustapha, Attorney General Anil Nandlall and Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd, along with Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elizabeth Harper.