Guyana can sustain food security in the Caribbean

Guyana National Coronavirus Task Force (NCTF) Chairman and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said that Guyana can help sustain food security in the Caribbean.

At the Ninth Special Emergency Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM last April 15, food security was one of the main agenda.

During the COVID-19 video press conference, Nagamootoo answered the question with regards to food security in the region.

“Guyana has always been considered the food basket of the Caribbean from the point of view of having vast natural resources of fertile land, fertile soil, clean air, clean water and land space.”

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) holds Guyana as a food-secure country with no major food-security issues.

According to 2018 data from the International Trade Centre (ITC) the 15 CARICOM member states imports up to 94 per cent of their food supplies from the United Sates.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo said that with the international situation being very bleak due to the COVID-19 pandemic, self-sufficiency of CARICOM and Guyana, individually, becomes even more important.

“Guyana is in a very good position to have local stimulation of agriculture and we’re hoping that the Ministry of Agriculture will come up with a comprehensive plan on how to help households in Guyana and how to help farmers to take to the soil and to help to boost our local supplies.”

Nagamootoo added that President David Granger is in consultation with the Rural Affairs Secretariat to determine the efforts that can be initiated to stimulate local agriculture.

“We’ll continue to maintain that relation and to develop our economies so that we can help each other to provide with the need internally in our Region.”

Guyana is the largest Caribbean country in terms of landmass.

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