Caribbean Export OUTLOOK 3rd Edition

Pulse of the Caribbean 12

Renewable green energy solar farm.

Caribbean population who are affected by Chronic Non- Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Which are commonly termed “lifestyle diseases”. According to the Healthy CaribbeanCoalition (HCC), NCDs are responsible for the majority of premature adult deaths and pose a serious threat to health and development. The NCD mortality rate is the highest in the Americas per capita, with hypertension being the leading risk factor for death. The statistics go on to show that diabetes prevalence is double global rates and Barbados has been said to have the highest levels of amputations per capita outside of a war zone due to complications from diabetes. Perhaps the most damning statement on the HCC website, is that 85% of adults in CARICOM Member States do NOT meet recommended levels of fruit and vegetable intake. This latter point is directly correlated with the region’s reality in terms of international trade. We are net food importers with a food import bill at US$6 billion in 2016. The COST of eating fruits and vegetables in many countries in the Caribbean is exhorbitant compared to the relative low cost of purchasing unhealthy alternatives. Taxing unhealthy alternatives will not fix that problem. Consumers are often faced with a “Hobsons” choice of giving their children a full stomach or “eating healthy” at costs which are prohibitive. The Caribbean must take a multifaceted approach which includes direct engagement

in the international trading arena on issues of food security and NCDs in order to avert the further destruction of the region’s greatest resource - its human capital. In light of these emerging global trends and challenges for small vulnerable economies, how can Caribbean countries best position themselves to strengthen their economies and build resilience for a sustainable future? The following areas are by no means exhaustive but reflect perhaps the quickest wins for the Caribbean in meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) and transforming the regional economic space for the 21 st century. 1. Green/Renewable Energy The decision to actively pursue with single minded determination and precision, the adoption of renewable energy, be it solar, wind, hydro or geothermal or a combination thereof, as the primary source of power, will have a transformational impact on the region’s overall productivity, competitiveness and long-term growth. The impact of the Caribbean’s dependence on oil and other fossil fuel-based energy derivatives is well documented and does not need to be relitigated in this article. The ability to lower the region’s production costs, a major lament of the private sector regarding their ability to be competitive in global markets, would have an immediate and exponential

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