Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica and outgoing Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government, Roosevelt Skerrit assured on Sunday that concrete steps have been taken to address self sufficiency within the region.
He noted that these gains will be further enhanced during the Chairmanship of President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali over the next six months. The CARICOM official underscored gains made on food security during his remarks at the 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community at the National Cultural Centre (NCC).
Skerrit said, “Over the past year, we took concrete steps towards self-sufficiency through the continued implementation of a cultural policy while fostering innovation and collaboration among our member states.” He was keen to note that 2023 saw increased budgetary allocations for culture in member states as well as the introduction of new crops, improved cross border investments and collaboration, development and implementation of new higher control trade policy, and the identification and agreement on possible insurance products to benefit farmers in the region.
“What this all means is that we remain on track to reduce our food import bill by 25 percent by 2025,” said the Prime Minister.
On the international front, the CARICOM leader said engagements were deepened with international partners to secure crucial support for development priorities within the region. He expressed confidence that President Ali will ensure these initiatives bear fruit.
