Guyana ’s response to food crisis the most coherent in the region
- IICA’s Regional Technical Co-operation Co-ordinator
Georgetown, GINA, May 13, 2008.
Guyana has taken on the most coherent and aggressive responses in the region to deal with the rising cost of food and while this is recognised, focus is being placed on the role of the ‘Jagdeo Initiative’ to reposition the sector in light of the current global crisis.
This was highlighted on May 12 by Co-ordinator of the Regional Technical Co-operation Agenda of the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA), Dr. Vincent Little in his presentation on the regional food situation and the Jagdeo Initiative at IICA’s Annual Accountability Seminar held at Hotel Tower, Main Street, Georgetown.
Dr. Little outlined Guyana’s response mechanisms in the context of household food security, policy measures and medium term responses. These include salary increase, cost of living adjustment, increase in the income tax threshold and old age pension and flour distribution to vulnerable groups.
Policy measures were referred to as the $200M investment to minimize price rise, support to the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) and Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), zero-rating of excise tax on diesel and reduction of excise tax on gas, no tax or duty on kerosene and cooking gas and no restriction on flour import.
Co-ordinator of the Regional Technical Co-operation Agenda of the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA), Dr. Vincent Little addressing the gathering at IICA’s Annual Accountability Seminar held at Hotel Tower, Main Street, Georgetown.
Launch of the ‘Grow-More’ campaign, distribution of seeds, planting materials, ants’ baits and chemicals, transparent and effective communication strategy were highlighted as Guyana’s medium-term response.
In describing the current situation of agriculture, Dr. Little referred to the poor implementation track record of regional policies and plans and agri-system not providing for the region’s food security nor covering its growing food import bill. It was also pointed out that agri-industries are buckling under pressures of trade reform and natural disasters and policy deficiencies.
He explained that in the context of new and changing international developments and environmental conditions, modest results from agriculture are no longer acceptable and a production perspective is not sufficient to achieve the full development of agriculture. Therefore, repositioning agriculture has taken centre stage at the level of Heads of Governments and as part of the deepening CARICOM Single Market they have called for a fundamentally different approach.
In this regard, it is recognised that the Jagdeo Initiative is the main vehicle for the implementation of the CARICOM Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), with an initial focus on addressing, on a consensus basis, 10 Key Binding Constraints to the development of agriculture.
The Initiative seeks to address these constraints in a manner which embodies the entire CARICOM agri-foods system; contribute to the creation of an enabling economic and business environment for competitive and sustainable agriculture and rural development.
“Having identified the 10 Key Binding Constraints (KBCs), the process has obtained feedback through national consultations amongst all stakeholders and from regional and international organizations,” Dr. Little said.
It was pointed out that the 10 KBCs are neither new nor exhaustive and affect all Caribbean countries as these reconfirm that the core constraints that have limited the scope and growth of potential investment and business opportunities in agri-business in Member States are largely supply-side related.
In addition, the Jagdeo Initiative represents the first set of regional actions to implement regional policy and initiate the successful rejuvenation of agriculture and seeks to maximize the benefits emanating from individual (national) efforts and address these constraints in a holistic and systemic manner.
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