Jagdeo appeals for help for Caribbean agriculture

The President of Guyana has called on the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to be more supportive of a plan by Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries to develop regional agriculture.

Speaking at the FAO food conference in Rome Bharrat Jagdeo was also critical of regional states that he said are "seduced by cheap food" and have not been paying attention to regional food security.

As a result, he said, the Caribbean has moved from a position where it could feed itself to a region that imports food valued at US$4 billion a year.

"For us in the developing world, we can’t just complain. Many of us don’t even allocate money for agriculture, for drainage and irrigation and farm-to-market roads.

"We don’t even request loans from the multilateral agencies, so we can’t just ask for help we also have to make agriculture a priority," he said.

The three-day World Summit on Food Security, which ends on Wednesday, will focus on the reform of the current global food distribution system, which has demonstrated its weaknesses during the global recession.

The FAO's annual report on food security says the number of people suffering from chronic malnutrition worldwide has topped one billion. In East Africa, which is the worst region, 20 million people need of emergency food aid.

Jagdeo urged countries to re-think their approach to agriculture and called on developed countries to honour their obligations to provide assistance to developing nations.

But at the same time he stressed the need for those who need help to be proactive. He said the region cannot rely on the benevolence of the developed world to keep their promises on overseas development assistance or to pursue trade policies that would not "impoverish us further".

He said, "These are not going to happen just by themselves," which is why it is also important for citizens worldwide to act in order to get their leaders to implement policies that would lead to the continued development of the agricultural sector.

The president said individual states need to create the atmosphere that would encourage developed nations that genuinely want to contribute to solving the world food problem.

It is time to stop using the excuse that the richer nations have not been willing to live up to their commitment, he said.