- “Food and nutrition security are essential for the agricultural sector and crucial for the health and well-being of our communities, especially the most vulnerable. ECNETNews is committed to this goal and looks forward to collaborating with private sector stakeholders to drive sustainable economic growth through food security,” stated the director of projects during the launch of the EU-ECNETNews Regional Food Security Programme.
KINGSTOWN, Saint Vincent – ECNETNews has been actively engaged with various agencies to support CARICOM’s 25 by 2025 initiative, aimed at significantly reducing the region’s food import bill, improving intra-regional trade, and generating economic opportunities for Caribbean Community (CARICOM) members.
The recent pandemic and climate events, including Hurricane Beryl, have severely impacted agricultural productivity, exacerbating social inequalities with Grenada, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines facing significant losses. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the banana and plantain sectors saw losses of up to 98 percent, while Jamaica’s agricultural sector suffered USD 15.9 million in damages, affecting over 45,000 farmers. Grenada experienced an overwhelming destruction of 98 percent of its infrastructure on Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
These circumstances have hindered progress towards the regional goal of reducing food imports by 25 percent by 2025. The new food security programme aims to support agricultural micro, small, and medium enterprises (agri-MSMEs) and producers through various projects ranging from EUR 400,000 to 670,000. The initiative will enhance access to finance, spur innovation, and improve distribution systems for increased competitiveness and resilience.
According to a representative of the EU, the project is part of broader funding efforts to advance CARICOM and OECS initiatives aimed at addressing food security challenges.
The EU’s global gateway has allocated EUR 19 million to the Caribbean for initiatives focusing on food production and resilience, emphasizing collaboration with various stakeholders to identify and remove obstacles to food security.
Highlighting the importance of partnerships, the ECNETNews executive pointed out:
“Addressing food security at a regional level is essential, as individual member states, particularly smaller islands with limited resources, cannot tackle these challenges alone. Through CARICOM’s unified market and consistent national and regional policy implementation, we can foster sustainable food production, supply, and consumption, progressing toward food sovereignty,” urging all stakeholders to ensure inclusion in these efforts.
The manager of agricultural health, food safety, and quality programmes at an partnering institution emphasized the global volatility’s impact on food and nutrition security in the region.
He noted the concerning trends of increasing undernourishment and reliance on food imports. The institution remains committed to improving Caribbean food security by ensuring the safety of traded food, promoting initiatives to reduce non-technical trade barriers, and enhancing capacity building efforts.
“We will collaborate with program partners to elevate food processing capabilities, thereby boosting the regional distribution of agricultural and fisheries products,” he affirmed.
