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Measures
agreed to by CARICOM Heads to mitigate rising food prices |
Georgetown, GINA, December 8, 2007 :
Out of the 12th Special Meeting of CARICOM Heads of
Government, several measures have been proposed for
implementation to address mounting food prices which are
being fuelled by a number of factors including rising oil
prices; adverse weather conditions and natural disasters,
and the shift in agricultural production from food to bio
fuels.
Measures that were outlined to mitigate the effects of price
increases at the December 7 meeting at the Guyana
International Conference Centre, Liliendaal are as follows;
The Region pledged to proceed urgently with the
transformation of agriculture, particularly the Jagdeo
Initiative.
CARICOM Secretariat to immediately establish a Technical
Team which will review a basket of food and non-food items,
common to the baskets in all Member States and which attract
a Common External Tariff (CET).
The Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) will
then make a decision on the reduction or removal of the CET
from this regional basket as early as January 2008. |
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An Expert CARICOM
Team on Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary Measures (SPS) will be
set up immediately to undertake a rapid assessment of the
readiness of Member States to export selected food items and
the preparedness of Member States to import those items from
within the Region.
Member States will institute social interventions targeting
the most vulnerable groups, including children, as a
feasible short-term measure
Member States to take advantage of the offer by the
Government of Guyana to nationals of Member States, of
access to land for the pursuit of agricultural production,
including agro-processing.
Further research and analysis on the issue of rising cost of
living and poverty in Member States on which to base further
decisions and implementation of recommendations. This will
be accompanied by a major consumer public education campaign
to be undertaken in order to equip the population to ‘shop
smart, buy regional and eat healthy.’
Stronger efforts to forge linkages between agriculture and
tourism as well as national school-feeding programmes to
promote the use of domestic produce as part of good
nutrition.
Agriculture Investment Forum scheduled for the first quarter
of 2008 which is critical for meeting the objectives of
increased production in the Region.
With respect to energy, Heads of Government recognise the
rising cost of energy impacts on all aspects of the cost of
living and production, and note that its cost is
significantly influenced both by the world price and by
national fiscal measures. Work which is already being
undertaken in the Region in the area of renewable energy
will be intensified. |
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