John Myers Jr., Agriculture Coordinator
REGIONAL AGRICULTURAL and food experts warn that the removal of preferential trade agreements could result in food insecurity for the more than six million people in the Caribbean.
Charles Carmichael, food security policy analyst of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) CARICOM-CARIFORUM Food Security Project explained that the changes in trade policies could put the Caribbean region at a disadvantage as farmers will be affected by increased competition, decreased profits and reduced incomes as a result. This, he explained, could result in a decrease in food production in the region.
Agriculture and Lands Minister, Roger Clarke, in officially opening the consultation workshop, said the changes in trade agreements between Caribbean countries and major trading partners such as the European Union were impacting the agricultural sector significantly. "Our agricultural sectors in the region are virtually under siege, based on the looming reality of the removal of preferential tariffs, which have ensured our sustainability thus far," he said.
CHANGES AND THE CHALLENGES
Dr. Fitzroy Henry, director of the Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI) warned that "we are living in a global environment and those persons who today, might be food secure, might not be food secure tomorrow because of the changes and the challenges that exist and confront us."
The two-day consultation workshop being held under the theme 'Promoting CARICOM/CARIFORUM Food Security' is aimed at identifying people who are vulnerable to food insecurity, where they are located , the factors that cause them to be vulnerable and identify measures to address food insecurity. It will also serve to sensitise stakeholders nationally of their responsibility in maintaining food security.
While Jamaica or the Caribbean as a region does not have a food security problem, Dr. Henry pointed out that there were pockets of people in the region that were affected by poverty and vulnerable to food insecurity.
CHANGE OF DIET NEEDED
Food security refers to the ability of persons or the general public to access at all times adequate supplies of foods and proper nutrition.
At the same time Dr. Dunstan Campbell, FAO's country representative said people in the Caribbean needed to change their diets as they were eating foods that were too rich in fats and poor in other essential nutrients, which is a factor in the high incidence of nutrition-related illnesses in the region.
Dr. Henry noted that steps were being taken to provide nutritious foods that are affordable to the people, This, he said, was a challenge for the region. The FAO and the Italian government have partnered to fund and conduct a food security and vulnerability assessment across the island as part of a US$5 million project to enhance Jamaica's food security capacity.
