Hurricane Beryl’s destructive impact across several Caribbean nations has dealt a severe blow to the region’s agriculture sector, significantly undermining CARICOM’s goal of reducing the food import bill by 25% by 2025.
The hurricane swept through Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica, Barbados, and Jamaica, causing unprecedented devastation, particularly to agriculture.
President Irfaan Ali, speaking during a live broadcast, emphasized the urgent need for a comprehensive assessment of the damage’s economic impact on the affected islands.
President Ali, also the outgoing Chairman of CARICOM, announced plans to convene a strategy meeting led by the CARICOM Ministerial Task Force on Agriculture.
The focus will be on mitigating further household impacts by ensuring pricing stability and securing essential commodities for the affected islands.
In response to the crisis, President Ali has mobilized support from regional and international bodies, including early intervention requests to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the European Commission of Agriculture (ECA).
These efforts aim to stabilize the agricultural sector and support farmers during this critical period.
Preliminary assessments suggest staggering losses amounting to tens of millions of dollars across the region’s agriculture industry.
President Ali underscored the gravity of these setbacks, highlighting the alignment of the impacted islands with CARICOM’s 25 by 2025 Initiative, which aims to reduce dependency on food imports.
President Ali’s leadership on agricultural issues within CARICOM has been pivotal, with initiatives like the 25 by 2025 Initiative reflecting proactive measures to enhance food security and economic resilience in member states.
By Samuel Gillis, NCN News