Caribbean's Food Production Vulnerability is Stark, Says CARICOM Official, Giving Rise to Food Security Concerns

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – A senior official of the Guyana-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat has warned that the current vulnerability of the food production in the region is stark, as collectively the Caribbean continues to be buffeted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the ravages of climate change, pests and plant-borne diseases and other associated maladies. Even so, there are indeed opportunities.

“This is therefore not a time for lamentation but represents a call to action," Joseph Cox, the assistant secretary-general for trade and economic integration told the 94th Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Agriculture that ended on Thursday.

Indeed, when taking into account that the world's food production needs to increase by 70 percent by 2050 to feed the expanding global population, this represents real opportunity."

He told the virtual meeting of the region’s agriculture ministers that when nourishment is brought into the equation, the challenge and therefore the opportunities becomes even more pronounced. Mr. Cox said research has revealed that by 2027 the world will be short 214 trillion calories per year as the calorie production gap — the difference between calories used and calories produced — continues to widen.

He said growth in food demand emanates both from population growth and increasing per capita income over time as countries develop. “In fact, with the exception of Belize and Guyana, all other CARICOM countries are net food importers, with at least seven of these countries importing more than 80 percent of their available food rendering the region a net calorie importer. This is a troubling data point, which mushrooms into a full blown crisis when we are reminded that all foods are not created equal, even if they weigh the same.”

Mr. Cox also warned that the region is at a point where on average acreage under use for agriculture is no longer expanding, as the arable lands are being repurposed for use in other economic activity. He said this is compounded by the continued use of a flawed risk appraisal mechanism by the region's financial institutions, which only serves to inhibit agricultural investment and thereby hinder yield improvement.

“In fact, only 18 percent of loan applications are approved across the region, while in some jurisdictions more than the 50 percent of land under use for agriculture have no registered titles and therefore cannot be used as collateral in securing loans.”

Even so, Mr. Cox said the Covid-19 pandemic has not been a disruptor per se but rather an accelerant for change. He told the meeting, which was chaired by Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Audley Shaw, that the challenges facing the region have created the space for sectors like agriculture to strategically pivot to take advantages of the opportunities that have arisen.