The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicted since last November that the 2021 global food import bill would reach an all-time high and surpass US$1.75 trillion, marking a 14% increase from the previous year and 12% higher than earlier forecast in June 2021.
It also reported that “Developing regions accounted for 40% of the total,” and their aggregate food import bill was expected to rise by 20% in 2021, compared to 2020.
Even-faster growth (in food imports) was expected for “Low-Income Food Deficit Countries”, due to “higher costs more than higher food import volumes.”
If CARICOM fits in the ‘Low-income Food Deficit’ category, then CARICOM has its work cut-out today — and now, more-than-ever.
But then, it also all has to do with the preparedness and ability of governments and related regional institutions to convincingly encourage Caribbean people to change their consumption and purchasing habits.
Caribbean societies tend to highlight all the positive benefits of local foods, fruits and vegetables around World Food Day celebrations, but while consumers who can afford prefer to buy according to package and taste, the majority are forced to shop according to their pockets and not their palates.
Another major factor is how Caribbean people’s tastes have gone so-far-astray that it’ll take near-miracles to change.
Caribbean people have basically grown-up growing and exporting cocoa and importing chocolate, exporting bananas and importing apples, etc.
It’s a herculean task to change such consumption patterns and until and unless all CARICOM member-states are ready and willing to walk that extra mile, the long race won’t start and winning will remain an elusive dream.
With CARICOM nations together having imported over US $10 billion worth of foods from outside the region in 2020 and the 2021 bill expected to be even higher, the need for more serious about reducing the region’s Food Import Bill couldn’t be more urgent.
Regional governments will individually have to decide where they stand on the issue, as across-the-board commitments are necessary to achieve the target of reducing the community’s food import bill by 25% by the year 2025.
And before the next CARICOM Heads of Government Summit (in July 2022), participants from all 14 CARICOM member-states are expected to set conditions, including actions required and interventions needed to achieve the target.
CARICOM states have recently examined taxes and duties, incentivizing agriculture, climate-smart resilient agriculture, productivity, technical support, crop identification for import substitution, addressing consumption, consumption patterns and behaviour, data collection, monitoring system, regional transport infrastructure, agro-processing and creating a regional brand.
It’s a good fresh start to an ongoing problem that’s only worsening, with the region importing billions of dollars’ worth of foods, many of which can be produced and processed within the region, but continue to be imported thanks to combinations of smart and effective marketing and cultural dependence cultivated over decades from colonialism to independence.