The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will next week meet with  some of the industry’s key stakeholders in an effort to address the critical  issue of  food security and to devise a medium-term strategy for the repositioning of the agricultural   sector.

The opportunity will take the form of a National Forum which is being staged in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), under the theme: ‘Food Sovereignty, Security and Nutrition: Agriculture our Future’. It comes off next Wednesday, May 14, from 8:00 a.m. until 4:45 p.m., at the Sherbourne Conference Centre.

The forum is targeted at stakeholders in the farming and fisheries sectors, and one of its key outputs will be the development of a medium term policy document to guide the further development of the sector.

In giving some insight into the forum, Chief Economist with the Ministry‘s Agricultural Planning Unit, Suzette Edey-Babb, stressed that it was not one designed primarily for complaints.

“It is not a complaints session. We are inviting stakeholders, in particular, to come focussed and with specific ideas as to how we can propel the sector. We are looking for any viable strategies or programmes to take the sector forward – for instance, improved production levels, increased productivity or enhanced marketing - basically any steps to get the sector up and running.”

“The Ministry hopes, through this National Forum, to arrive at a plan  of action for facilitating the sustainable growth and expansion of the sector, to meet its food and nutrition security needs in the immediate to medium term, with a view to  repositioning agriculture, such that it is transformed into a vibrant and dynamic sector…,” she added.

According to Mrs. Edey-Babb, stakeholders from three key sectors - livestock, fisheries and crops will be divided into individual groups to address five main areas  namely: production and productivity; value-added production and processing; quality assurance and utilisation and marketing. The groups will also address the broad areas of support services, technology, training, investment, extension, legislation and standards, incentives, enforcement, praedial larceny, farm mechanisation and water among others.

A separate group, she explained, will also examine related issues  including: land use policy; energy; policy and legislative framework; the use of idle lands; public education; nutrition; waste management; youth in agriculture; partnerships and the buy – local campaign.

Stakeholders in the industry who are interested in participating in this National Forum are required to register with the Ministry, no later than  next Tuesday, May 13,  by contacting the Agricultural Planning Unit at 428-4054 or by email to: agriplanning2@caribsurf.com.