The Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) says it will examine strategies for transforming the agri-food sector in the Caribbean with an emphasis on improving cross-border trade.
“The flow of goods in the Caribbean remains hamstrung by an inadequate logistics ecosystem while countries continue to encounter challenges related to infrastructure and activities along the value chain,” said CDB Vice President of Operations, Isaac Solomon, who will address the event.
“The region’s private sector, which is comprised primarily of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), is faced with constrained access and limited penetration of markets within and beyond CARICOM”, he added.
The CDB said during this dialogue it will seek to influence, shape, and formulate solutions with the input of regional and global expertise.
The webinar on June 1 will be addressed by representatives of the International Trade Centre (ITC), the CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ), the private and public sectors.
They will seek to identify opportunities for unlocking regional markets for agri-food MSMEs, the CDB said, adding that discussions will also explore how the region can increase trade in agriculture and its related commodities and support intensified efforts to achieve food security and increase the participation of MSMEs and the private sector.
It said recommendations from the business sector to unravel problems at each point in the logistics ecosystem restricting the movement of goods from the producer to the shipper, to the port and then to the shelves will be presented.
“Regional infrastructure inclusive of road networks, seaports and airports, existing warehousing, storage and distribution centers, regulatory agencies including border security agencies and other elements of the logistics networks will be examined.
“Building on the region’s successes in the sectors and examining the role of regional institutions in supporting the objectives of regional governments, this event will advance the critical issue of regional food security which demands strong emphasis particularly as it relates to addressing the logistical challenges that connectivity places on regional trade.”
The CDB said the seminar is the first of several to be held as part of the bank’s annual meeting of its highest decision-making body, the Board of Governors. The 52nd annual meeting will be hosted in the Turks and Caicos Islands, June 1-16.
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