Caribbean market must be high value specialised – President Ali

President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has expressed the firm stance that the Caribbean market must be positioned as a high-value specialised one, leveraging its scale, strategic location, and competitive advantages.

Dr Ali highlighted several commodities including honey, spices, cocoa, coffee, corn, soya, and fresh fruits, which he said, hold significant value and can contribute to the region’s economic growth.

He was at the time addressing a virtual Regional Agri Forum Tuesday (June 13, 2023), where he stressed the distinction between agriculture and the broader ecosystem of highly integrated food production. “When we speak about investment, we’re not speaking about charity. We’re speaking about creating a business and economic model that works…for the investor, for the people, and work for the country, in the context of what you want to achieve. And that context is food security and to create a high-value market,” he said.

To realise these goals, the president outlined several key areas that require attention. Transport and logistics, for instance, have long been a significant challenge for international trade and regional food distribution.

He said there are immense opportunities in transforming the transport and logistics aspect of the food production system, particularly through the creation of a regional food hub.

By reengineering the existing network and investing in the necessary technology and infrastructure, the Caribbean region can establish efficient transport routes, reducing delivery times from Northern Brazil through the Caribbean to North America to just 72 hours, instead of three weeks.

Further, the Guyanese leader stressed the importance of investing in technology, particularly to address post-harvest losses and increase value-added production. “And let me say this, the integrated food production system is changing. You don’t need 100 acres