Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on the brink of food insecurity
“Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is on the brink of food insecurity”, said the Minister of Agriculture of that island nation, Saboto Caesar, during the 2024 session of the Executive Committee of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). During the meeting, participants were presented with details of the climate emergency that several Caribbean nations are experiencing due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl at the beginning of July.
Speaking via video link to a dozen ministers of agriculture in the Americas and other senior sector officials, Caesar explained that the current complex agrifood situation in his country had been exacerbated by a series of extreme events over the past five years.
“Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is on the brink of food insecurity, on average it has been hit by one natural disaster every year for the past five years, which has disrupted every food chain. We have experienced COVID-19, 32 volcanic eruptions, severe droughts, and hurricanes”, the minister pointed out.
The impact of Hurricane Beryl led to the loss of 98 percent of banana and plantain production and affected a series of other agricultural value chains. “The lobster and fisheries chain was totally destroyed, the base of the fisheries sector was impacted, ninety-five percent of vessels were affected, a large percentage of fisherfolk and producers have been displaced”, he added.
“We asked Parliament for help, to continue softening the impact. We aim to provide assistance and support in the form of direct income for producers for the next 23 months. Our intention is to increase production and productivity, so our production systems are fully operational by the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025”, he remarked.
The Minister of Agriculture of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines asked IICA and its Member States to provide the technical assistance needed to rebuild the agriculture and fisheries sector.
“We need technical support, the assistance of the IICA Member States for our recovery, for a detailed assessment of the impacts on ecosystems, seeds, assistance with fertilizers, support from technical personnel, technologies to help us in the reconstruction process. IICA has always been a friend and a partner whenever we have needed it, we are a developing island state and we want to be at the forefront in the fight against climate change”, Caesar said.
Source link : https://www.stvincenttimes.com/svg-on-the-brink-of-food-insecurity-minister-of-agriculture/
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Publish date : 2024-07-30 11:46:15
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