SVG to host major OECS Agriculture Summit

Ministers of Agriculture from the OECS sub-region will converge in Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines this week for a summit to address the implementation of the recently crafted, Food and Agriculture Systems Transformation (FAST) Strategy.

The summit is expected to last two days, with day one being a Council of Ministers meeting and

day two an active interaction with the private sector. The sessions will convene at the National Insurance Services conference room on Thursday, August 31 and Friday, September 1, 2023.

A release from the Food and Nutrition Security Centre of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) said the FAST strategy was recently launched in Grenada.

According to the release, it was created to “encompass central pillars inclusive of establishing more efficient and sustainable methods for food and agriculture production, processing, and distribution in order to offset rising food costs; ensuring that the general public can access affordable and healthy foods”.

A panel discussion will take place on day two with presenters Sandiford Edwards – Expert in Developmental Finance with specialisation in finance structuring, Agriculture & SME finance and Climate & Renewable Energy Finance for Small Island Developing States; Professor Leonard O’Garro -Plant Pathologist, biotechnologist and Regional Agribusiness Advisor; Sunita Daniel – Chief Executive Officer of Export Saint Lucia, the national agency responsible for trade and export promotion in St Lucia; and Damian Bowen, Managing Director of one of the region’s largest Insurance Brokers, Lynch Caribbean Brokers.

The panelists will be addressing different aspects of the OECS FAST strategy.