EU invests €19M in Caribbean agriculture
The European Union (EU) is providing €19 million (approximately $20.8 million) to enhance the resilience and sustainability of food systems in the Caribbean, promoting food and nutrition security, particularly for groups in vulnerable situations.
The funds are being provided under the EU-CARIFORUM Food Security Programme that was launched in Guyana last week and is part of the EU’s larger €600 million effort to step up support to the most vulnerable African, Caribbean and Pacific countries hit by the global food crisis.
Under this Food Security programme, the EU and CARIFORUM will work hand in hand with their respective national partners to target some of the most pressing areas that are preventing the supply of sustainable solutions to food and nutrition security in the Caribbean.
This includes sustainable and climate-smart production processes of locally produced food, efficient and reliable regional distribution mechanisms, healthy consumption patterns, and resilient social protection structures.
By bringing more food security, the programme will aim to reduce the Caribbean’s food import bill by 25% by 2025.
European Commission Deputy Director-General for International Partnerships Mrs. Myriam Ferran said: “In this dire context of the global food crisis, I want to stress the European Union’s commitment to supporting regional efforts towards more sustainable and resilient food systems in the Caribbean. The new EU programme that we are launching here today has consulted with national, regional and international partners and will promote food and nutrition security, particularly for groups in vulnerable situations. It will have a strong focus on facilitating investment as a key driver of growth and development of the agricultural and fishery sector.”
The Secretary-General of CARICOM Dr Carla Barnett noted that food and nutrition security is now one of the highest priorities for CARICOM. “The Programme is expected to contribute to several critical outputs, including supporting research and investments in food production solutions, strengthening selected agriculture and fisheries value-chains at local and regional levels, and improving food processing capabilities to increase regional food distribution,” she stated.
Implementation of the project will start in December 2023 and will last for four years.
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The $19m comes with request trips by EU officials (during the winter) to ensure that the money is applied correctly – ie 65% kickbacks to those officials. The EU funded the world’s most expensive bridge (judged by cost v length) at Beef Island and introduced a level of corruption that our Govt officials had never dreamed about.
€19 million? For the whole Caribbean?
There wont be any actual planting done.
Just some winter tours by cold European officials and a report or two that will gather dust somewhere.
Aren’t governments wonderful?
Wonderful enough to redirect the corruption narrative, Rubber Duckie.
doubt that any of those funds will reach the BVI because:
1) The UK withdrew from the European Union on 31 January 2020.
2) As an overseas territory of the UK in the Caribbean the BVI are high risk islands for transparency and honest auditing of financial disbursements from any source.
How sweet of them to chip in ! ….Fair is fair ..After all we’ve done for them :-/
How we we apply as consultants?