Private Sector Dialogue: Promoting Agri-Business within the Americas
27 October 2009, Montego Bay, Jamaica

The CARCIOM Secretariat, in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), supported the Ministry of Agriculture, Jamaica, in implementing the first Private Sector Dialogue to be held in the context of the Hemispheric Ministerial and Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA) Meetings. The Head of the CARICOM Secretariat delegation, Ambassador Irwin Larocque, in his opening remarks highlighted the importance of the Event.

The Dialogue – which comes on the heels of the Public-Private Sector Consultation on Agribusiness hosted by the Secretariat in May of this year – aimed at forging a sustainable platform that would allow for the voice of the private sector to be heard in deliberations on the agriculture sector. More specifically, the agenda focused on three broad themes:

i. Research and Development, Innovation and Technology Transfer;

ii. Finance, Credit and Risk Management; and

iii. Enhanced Marketing of Agri-business within the framework of Regional Trade Agreements

The presentations and ensuing discussions on these topics underscored (a) the continuing importance of agriculture in the Hemisphere’s development goals and objectives, particularly with regard to food security and rural development; and (b) the urgent need to increase investment (financial, technical, and policy-wise) in the sector to facilitate it to become more productive, efficient, and market-oriented in an increasingly competitive global economy.

One of the outputs of the Dialogue was a Declaration, put together by the private sector participants and presented at the 5th Ministerial Session.