Better trade among regional countries possible
Thu, 06/02/2016 - 12:00am
There is a suggestion that if regional countries move ahead with plans to harmonise Agricultural, Health and Food Safety legislation, it would not
only benefit their efforts to trade in agricultural products internationally, but among themselves as well.
This has come from Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management, Esworth Reid. He made the point yesterday morning at the opening ceremony of a Regional Validation Workshop of Model Agricultural, Health and Food Safety Bills at the Radisson Aquatica Resort, while noting that there have been complaints made over time that some CARICOM member countries may be using sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) related reasons “freely and unfairly” as non-tariff barriers to deliberately block imports of fresh meats and vegetables from other member states.
“It has even been claimed by representatives of some member states that the fresh produce from their countries seem to be more highly scrutinised with respect to sanitary and phytosanitary claims by some other member states of CARICOM, than similar produce from extra-regional sources,” he indicated.
Reid said it is therefore hoped that the harmonisation of such legislation across the region would help to increase co-operation between CARICOM member states on that issue, and reduce any misunderstanding that currently arises regarding the ease by which some products can be traded within the region. He said that member states should also understand that they have a responsibility to protect their territories from pests and diseases that can not only damage their industries, but be easily transported by way of trade.
“Although the adoption of modern and internationally accepted legislation across the region may create the potential to increase regional and international trade in agricultural products, this increase will not be effectively realised if other constraints to increased trade, especially increased trade among member states, are not removed,” he added.
The Permanent Secretary was referring to the lack of effective regional ceilings between member states to accommodate active trade in perishables. He said while states have been talking for sometime about ways to address the problem, no solution has been found. He lamented that member states seem to lack the spirit and drive to share resources and to engage in joint research and product development exercises in order to enhance and augment variety in the production of agricultural products, at the primary level and along the value added chain.
But he warned that countries in the region cannot expect to achieve sustainable growth in the agricultural sector if the focus is placed only on producing primary products, or making them into final products already being made in the developed world. To that end, he maintained the member states must become research driven and innovative.
With that in mind, he suggested that agricultural land across the region that has either been taken out of production or abandoned must be utilised again. He further stated the need for agricultural producers in the region to correct the situation that leads to a lack of proper agricultural production planning and management at the national levels. If this can be addressed, he said it would redound to the benefit of the wider region. He however cautioned those present that if such steps are not taken, any harmonised legislation that is introduced “will mean nothing”. (JRT)