Bharrat Jagdeo, President of Guyana. - File

Georgetown (CMC):

Guyana's President, Bharrat Jagdeo, has expressed alarm at the growth in poverty and hunger in the region even as the food import bill climbs.

Although he provided no statistics, Jagdeo told participants at a one-day agriculture summit held at the International Convention Centre, Liliendall, east of Guyana's capital, that the twin challenge of hunger and poverty "is a big problem" at the regional level.

"The food import bill is horrendous and agriculture in the region will not have a resurgence unless governments put more money to help beat the endemic problems faced by regional territories," he said.

More competitive

The Caribbean food import bill has climbed from about US$1 billion a decade ago to some US$3.6 billion today, Caribbean Community Secretary-General, Dr. Edwin Carrington, revealed earlier this year.

On Saturday, Jagdeo called for the region's agriculture sector to be made "more competitive" to deal with the challenges.

As the lead spokesperson for the Caribbean agriculture sector, Jagdeo said he held talks with the international financial institutions, including the World Bank, which have signalled their willingness to fund developments of the sector.

Unprecedented challenges

But the invitation "must come from the governments," Jagdeo said.

Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud, said the local sector, and that of the rest of the Caribbean, face unprecedented challenges which demand increased focus geared towards the expansion of the non-traditional sub-sector "into one that is sustainable and competitive."

For Guyana, the diversification plan must not only be market-oriented, but it is "mandatory to secure and maintain market access regionally and internationally," Persaud said.

Recommendations emerging from Saturday's meeting include creating and capturing more value-added benefits through processing of local products, establishing market-led strategies for agriculture diversification, and supporting the availability and flow of financing to all parts of the supply chain for existing and new products, a summit document said.