Special COTED Meeting on Agriculture convenes 8 October

October 8, 2021

The 94th Special Ministerial Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) will be held on Friday 8 October, the final activity of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2021. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Jamaica, the Hon. Audley Shaw, will chair the virtual meeting.

The one-day meeting will see Ministers discussing key agricultural matters including those related to the blue economy, private sector involvement in the development of agriculture in the Region, and trade in agricultural products.

One of the key agenda items is a report from the Special Ministerial Task Force on Food Production and Food Security. Mr. Zulfikar Mustapha, Agriculture Minister of Guyana, Chairs the Task Force which has as its objective is to guide the Community’s position on shaping a significantly more resilient, wealth-generating, and food secure agri-food system.

The Thirty-Second Intersessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in February agreed to the establishment of the Task Force which would work closely with the private sector on an Action Plan to follow-up and monitor implementation of an agri-food system strategy.

Staff Writer, CARICOM October 7, 2021