OECS addresses food security at special meeting of the Council of Ministers of Agriculture

THE ORGANISATION of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission hosted a Special Meeting of the ministers with responsibility for Agriculture on March 11, 2022 to address the expected negative impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine on food security in the region, and to craft joint regional mitigative actions.

Chair of the OECS Council of Ministers of Agriculture, Samantha Marshall of Antigua and Barbuda, in acknowledging that the war in Ukraine will adversely impact food availability and prices in the region, captured the circumstances under which the meeting was held by referencing Chief Economist at the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Arif Husain who spoke on the devastating consequences of the Russian invasion on Ukraine and its anticipated impact on grain and oil prices, a release from the OECS states. Minister Marshall said that the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Food Price Index reached 140.7 points in February 2022 exceeding the record set in February 2011, and the Cereal Price Index reached 144.8 points,14.8 percent higher than a year ago. The Minister further noted that the impact of the war in Ukraine, which began on February 24 has not worked its way into the global Food Price Index calculations.

To provide further context to the discussions, following important facts concerning food supply from the impacted region by the FAO were noted.

• Ukraine accounts for 10% of global wheat supply.

• Ukraine will miss the May 2022 wheat planting season.

• Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter accounting for 17% of global supply.

• Russia is the world’s second largest supplier of sunflower seed; and

• The Black Sea region accounts for 12% of global food calories intake.

In light of these realities, the general sentiment was that a prolonged war in Ukraine will only exacerbate the global food security situation by creating disruptions in key global food markets.

The OECS region has a high food import dependency ratio ranging from 55% to 95%, with four Member States recording more than 80%. It was noted during discussions that local agriculture production is insufficient both in volume and consistency to buffer the expected price increase and shortages in the imported food supply. The prediction, therefore, is that there will be increases in the price and availability of commodities such as flour and sunflower oil. The Ministers further concluded that general price increases in imports are expected as a direct result of the increasing price of crude oil and the expected knock-on effect with regard to the cost of transportation globally.

The ministers received a detailed presentation from Trade and Agricultural expert, Jai Ramersad on the context and implications of the Ukraine war and further engaged the ministers and other representatives on the possible joint mitigative actions. Meeting officials (including from Martinique) welcomed and supported the need for urgent discourse on the matter.

The meeting agreed on a framework of urgent collaborative action and the intention to appraise and inform the public in the region.

This country’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour, Saboto Caesar was among other minister colleagues from Antigua and Barbuda; the Commonwealth of Dominica; Grenada; St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia who attended the special meeting.