Ja’s food security efforts must be amplified

THE EDITOR, Madam:

THE EXCEEDINGLY paramount issue of food security deserves national priority, as the entire world is evidently under imminent threat due to the escalation of conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which undoubtedly has had a significant impact on food prices and availability across the global market.

The Ministry of Agriculture has recently outlined a national food security strategy that should ensure that critical aspects of the plan, especially as it pertains to the amplified production of locally grown produce and fertilizers, be implemented as swiftly and as feasibly possible. The world is now racing against the element of time to cushion the crippling effects of the aforementioned crisis.

It seems the Caribbean Basin and the world at large have, over the past few years, been thrust into a realm dotted with uncertainties and impending instability due to several topical issues, namely, novel coronavirus, the European war, and now monkeypox.

Ukraine-Russia, dubbed the breadbasket of Europe, is now on the verge of being decimated due to conflict. Russia is the largest natural gas exporter and among the largest crude oil exporter in the world. Ukraine is a major world producer of corn, wheat and rye, as well as other critical supplies such as iron ore. The current global crisis has certainly emphasised the connectedness between the global market and the Caribbean region.

The Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index, a measure of the monthly change in international food prices of a basket of food commodities, has revealed that pre-war global food prices stood at an all-time, 10-year high. So one can only anticipate that there will now be an upward trend in these prices across the globe. According to FAO, ‘’nineteen percent of all imports to CARICOM’s 15 member states consisting of food and agricultural goods account for more than $5 billion each year’’.

In addition, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) findings indicate that at least 2.1 million tonnes of wheat and 2.6 metric tonnes of corn were imported from North America by Caribbean countries between 2021 and 2022.

DEDICATED AND AGGRESSIVE

Based on observations thus far, the time is indeed congruous for Jamaica to become more dedicated and aggressive i n investing heavily in our local food supply chain and in so doing, explore viable food alternatives as well to ensure a resilient food security architecture is created to meet the basic food needs of all Jamaicans.

Jamaica possesses, for the most part, an inviting climate that enables the production and manufacturing of most of the island’s food needs. The nation must resign its staggering overreliance on foreign-grown food imports, in an effort to break this revolving and debilitating cycle of our currency leaving the country unnecessarily, which inevitably thwarts growth potential.

CARICOM, in tandem with other regional inter-governmental agencies, should continue to collaborate, while utilising the assistance of international agencies, to develop a formidable framework to buffer these exogenous and endogenous shocks, regionally, surrounding these crucial issues. A fortitudinous approach should be utilised, so that the region can rekindle the embers of self-sufficiency.

TARA HENRY