Minister for Agriculture and Lands, Forestry, and Marine Resources Hon. Lennox J Andrews in his capacity as Chairman of the OECS Council of Ministers of Agriculture, successfully chaired the 8th meeting in Montserrat on 17 May 2024.
It was held under the theme “Advancing Regional Cooperation on Food Security.”
The OECS Commission provided the Council of Ministers with updates on relevant programmes and projects. These included the OECS Food and Agriculture Systems Transformation (FAST) Strategy, which is geared towards taking a regional approach to increasing food security and sovereignty in the islands by focusing on increased levels of agricultural production along with its distribution and marketing.
Delegations received technical presentations from the OECS Commission as the basis for decision-making relative to the implementation of the FAST strategy.
Plans for hosting a sub-regional Youth in Agriculture Symposium in Dominica in August 2024 were also presented. Each country will be represented in person by 3 young people, while others can attend virtually.
Topics to be discussed include the role of science and technology in agriculture and agricultural production and proposal writing for accessing agricultural funding. Practical sessions will include site visits to agricultural projects in Dominica. This symposium will be funded by the European Development Fund (EDF).
The Ministerial Caucus was also presented with updates on:
- The Apiculture Policy and Action Plan
- Regional Blue Economy Initiatives
- The EU/OECS Regional Sargassum Conference, scheduled to be held in Grenada in September 2024, was discussed with full support from the Council of Ministers. This conference aims to bring together regional and international experts to find innovative solutions to the problems presented by sargassum in the region
- The Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem Project (CLME+)
- The Eastern Caribbean Regional Oceanscape Project (ECROP)
- Developments at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Agriculture and Fisheries Negotiations
Throughout the meeting, ministers committed to transitioning from the stage of discussion to the implementation of the plans and programmes designed to improve regional food security and to work together to increase regional agricultural production.
Following the 8th OECS Council of Ministers for Agriculture meeting, a press conference was held on 18 May 2024. Agriculture ministers from Grenada and Montserrat and the OECS Director General interacted with the press on the outcome of the meeting as well as other topics relevant to regional agricultural production and food security.
The next meeting of the OECS Council of Ministers Agriculture will be hosted by St Vincent and the Grenadines during the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) in October 2024.
The Grenada delegation to the meeting comprised Minister Lennox J Andrews and Chief Extension Officer (Ag.) in the Ministry of Agriculture Lauren St. Louis. Other attendees included Ministers of Agriculture from Montserrat, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, and the British Virgin Islands (BVI), while Antigua and Barbuda were represented by Sandra Joseph, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Barbuda Affairs.
Also in attendance were OECS Director General Dr Didacus Jules, and a team of technical staff from the OECS Commission. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) was represented by Dr Renata Clarke, and Greg Rawlings represented the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Forestry, and Marine Resources…ensuring food and nutrition security for all!
