By Shanieka Smith

Features Writer

#Dominica, May 27, 2022 – Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica, has advised Caribbean Community (CARICOM) heads of government to implement regulations that will force the sale of regional produce in supermarkets. Skerrit shared this at the Agri-Investment Forum and Expo on Thursday.

“If we do not concretise the recommendations in this 25 by 2025 and beyond initiative and we as current leaders, I believe that there is political will to allow it to happen, the private sector must come on board and not display a rush to profits and believing that you can get cheaper produce from outside (the region) in larger quantities and you flood the markets…” Skerrit said while sharing his concern for the future and food security in the Caribbean, Skerrit said, He added that consumers must rely less on foreign produce and become more open to products manufactured in the Caribbean.

“Let us all join forces. It’s not going to happen only because of us and it’s not going to happen by us only as political leaders of these islands.  Every one of us are the consumers, we cannot as consumers talk about agriculture and what the government is doing for agriculture and then we take our trolleys and we go to the supermarkets and we look for the foreign produce, that we believe that the beef from elsewhere is not comparable to the beef coming from Guyana,” said the Prime Minister.

Skerrit said if Caribbean nationals make a decision right now to support Caribbean produce, we would solve the problem, that is, reducing the region’s food import bill to 25 percent. Currently, the bill stands at almost US$6 billion annually.

He added, “… then you would put political pressure on these leaders to remove all the barriers that they have in the country, because you would be saying to them, I do not want any ginger coming from a country that doesn’t have land, I want Dominica ginger.  And let us have it recognised on the supermarket shelves. Let us pass regulations to force the supermarkets to put CARICOM produce.”

During his presentation, he added his government has a strict policy regarding the support of Caribbean goods. The Dominican Republic, according to Skerrit, only imports sugar and rice, for example, from Guyana. The country’s flour only comes from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, regardless of the hefty price.

“We are cushioned because we understand that if we can keep the dollars in the Caribbean Region, it’s gonna benefit Dominica eventually and if each of us adopt that attitude then our presence here in Guyana going forward would be a good success,” he said.