Suriname says it remains confident it can meet the “huge demand” for meat for its regional neighbors, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.
Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Minister, Prahlad Sewdien, said he held talks with his Barbadian counterpart, Indar Weir and the Trinidad and Tobago junior Agriculture Minister, Avinash Singh, during the just concluded 37th Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Ecuador.
Sewdien said there is a “huge demand” for meat in both markets and he believes Suriname can meet this need.
Figures show that on an annual basis, the demand from the two CARICOM countries is estimated at approximately 5,000 tons of meat, and Suriname says it will establish and execute a program to increase livestock and meat production.
Sewdien said the ministry will invite cattle farmers interested in participating in the program, and arrangements will be put in place to deal with both the technical and phytosanitary aspects of the initiative.
Sewdien also said there are opportunities for certain types of fruit and vegetables from Suriname to be exported to Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.
The state-owned Food and Agriculture Industries (FAI) company already exports eight to ten containers of bananas to both islands on weekly, and Sewdien said the export of pork to Barbados has also got off to a good start.
Sewdien said Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation Minister, Albert Ramdin, and Finance and Planning Minister, Armand Achaibersing, are now on a working visit to Barbados.
He said they will further discuss agreements previously made between the governments of the two countries under the ‘Brokopondo Program for cooperation that they signed in November 2019.
Under the agreement, Suriname will provide lands to Barbadian investors for the production of Blackbelly sheep and other agricultural activities.
CMC/
