A Bold New Caribbean

The CARICOM 25 by 2025 Initiative is an ambitious decision by the Heads of Government of the Ca- ribbean Community (CARICOM) to focus on ag- riculture and advancement of the food systems agenda to ensure access to healthy and nutri- tious food for the people of the Community. It is a game-changing initiative born out of the realisa- tion that we must act to increase food production if we are to survive. The Initiative acknowledges the economic potential of the Region’s agri-food sector to reduce our food import bill (currently US$4.7 billion and growing) by at least 25% by 2025. The model is one of strate- gic partnerships between regional Governments and the private sector, complemented by strategic policy interventions, with a focus on a sustainable future. The initiative also has great potential to assist in addressing the epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes and hyperten- sion, which, in 2007, we committed as a Community to do. The need is even more urgent today, and one critical strategy to address NCDs is to increase the availability of fresh produce to minimize the need to consume food that is heavy in oils, sugar and salt. We must all take steps to minimise the risk of NCDs, and the 25 by 2025 Initiative is one of those important steps through which we can lessen the economic cost to families, businesses, communities and health systems. Adopting this commercialization model for re- gional food systems is a substantial undertaking. It includes strategies to reduce the Region’s food import bill by increasing intra-regional and foreign direct investments and introducing new tech- nologies. Collectively, these will help to boost the Region’s productivity and its capacity to reliably supply quality food at affordable prices. It will also promote resilience and economic prosperity in the Region. Key factors driving commercialisation have generally been identified as effective institutions, improved infrastructure, knowledge management, adequate incentives, stakeholders’ initiatives, and a conducive business environment. Our Region faces several shortcomings in these areas.

Appropriate and effective policies are required to tackle the various obstacles which have been inimi- cal to achieving full commercialization of the Region’s agri-food system. The assumption is that successful implementation of these policies will provide the im- petus for transformative and sustainable expansion of agri-food production. Appropriate and effective policies are required to tackle the various obstacles which have been inimi- cal to achieving full commercialization of the Region’s agri-food system. The assumption is that successful implementation of these policies will provide the im- petus for transformative and sustainable expansion of agri-food production. CARICOM Heads of Government have agreed on regional policy solutions to propel us towards our target of reducing our food import bill and boosting food and nutrition security. These include measures to promote de-risking the sector, such as estab- lishing a National Agricultural Catastrophe Fund, adopting regional investment and incentive systems, implementing a national/regional food security pro- curement policy, identifying alternative financing systems, and completing a framework for the free movement of skilled agricultural workers. They have also agreed to implement an E-Agriculture strategy, which will facilitate modernisation of the agricultural sector through the application of sus- tainable technologies throughout the value-chain. Further policy solutions include actions to achieve the complete removal of all Technical Barriers to Trade, developing a CARICOM Cross Border Agri- Food Investment Strategy to support production corridors, and reforming the Common External Tariff (CET) and rules of origin regimes to protect regional enterprises and support their competitiveness. Im- proving transportation and logistics are critical issues to be addressed through special incentives regimes and regional trade, transport and logistics hubs or corridors, and encouraging investments in produc- tion, research and development to support the sus- tainability of the sector. Regional Policy Solutions

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