The annual Caribbean Week of Agriculture is an important platform to promote engagement and collaboration among key stakeholders as they share knowledge and experiences in the seminars and interact with their counterparts across the Region, as well as showcase their products at the Trade Show and Exhibition.

This year’s theme, “Accelerating Vision 25 x 2025”, recognises that we need to transform our food systems in response to the peculiar challenges and opportunities which confront the Region’s agricultural sector. Decisive, urgent action is needed if we are to realise the social and economic benefits of reducing our food import bill by 25 percent by 2025.

Attracting transformative and sustainable investments in agriculture and food production remains a priority for the CARICOM Region. The Week’s activities will therefore promote greater involvement of the private sector, a stakeholder that is key to accelerating the growth and development of agriculture.

During the Week, we will convene a Special Meeting of the Council of Trade and Economic Development (COTED), where Ministers of Agriculture will deliberate on matters such as agricultural policy, agricultural health and food safety, and increasing agricultural production and trade. They will especially focus on strategies to reduce the Region’s food import bill and empower our rural communities, including our women and young people.

I extend sincere appreciation to the Government and People of The Bahamas for so graciously hosting this 17th Caribbean Week of Agriculture. I also commend the hard-working members of the Steering Committee and all the institutions that have collaborated to execute this significant event.

Let us continue to coordinate our efforts to realize the goals set for the agricultural sector in our Region and advance the achievement of food security in the near future, and for generations to come. I look forward to a successful Caribbean Agriculture Week 2023.