Regional Food Systems Investment Forum Took Place Last Week

A bold shift in private investment is needed if the Caribbean is to reduce its growing food import bill and transform its economies, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Dr Shantal Munro-Knight has said.

Addressing the opening of the Regional Food Systems Investment Forum at the Hilton Barbados Resort, Dr Munro-Knight warned that incremental changes would not deliver the scale of progress required to strengthen regional food security.

Referring to CARICOM’s 25 by 25 initiative, which aims to reduce the region’s food import bill by 25 per cent, she said the programme reflected a recognition that the Caribbean needed to advance food security “in a big and significant way”.

The minister noted that Caribbean countries imported $13.76 billion worth of agricultural products over a recent three-year period, representing about five per cent of the region’s gross domestic product.

“That’s not small, that’s not insignificant,” she said.

Dr Munro-Knight argued that agriculture should no longer be viewed solely as crop production or small-scale farming, but as a modern sector offering substantial investment opportunities. She pointed to areas such as logistics, agro-processing, cold storage infrastructure, digital transformation and technology as key components of a broader food systems approach.

“The dialogue around food systems has moved beyond just production,” she said, describing the sector as one of the Caribbean’s most significant economic and development opportunities.

She added that governments must play a catalytic role in attracting private capital, while ensuring investors have confidence in public institutions.