Posted: Tuesday, July 8, 2025. 5:13 pm CST.
Shaun Baugh, Programme Manager for Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Development at the CARICOM Secretariat – Photo Credit: Caricom.org
By Rubén Morales Iglesias: The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is charting a bold and transformative course toward regional food security, with significant gains in agricultural production, intra-regional trade, and technical cooperation. Shaun Baugh, Programme Manager for Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, described the Region’s progress as both “transformative” and “strategic” in a recent interview ahead of the 49th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government, than concludes on July 8 in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
“It’s an interesting journey for us. It’s a transformative journey that we have undertaken as a Region, and I’m happy to report that there have been positives; there have been some highlights that we are, in fact, proud of as a Region,” Baugh said.
“And it says to us, we are progressing in a direction that once we’re able to keep the momentum and to keep our eyes on the ball, we should be able to achieve a majority of what it is that we want for regional food security.”
Originally launched to reduce the Region’s food import bill by 25% by 2025, the initiative—now renamed “25 x 25+5”—has been extended to 2030. The extension, agreed upon by CARICOM Heads of Government in February, is designed to consolidate early gains and deepen the impact of the initiative.
“The aim is to improve, increase primary production to support the value added, and finally, the third strategic direction we look at is improved reach in the regional technical cooperation,” Baugh said.
The updated initiative is anchored in three strategic pillars:
- Reducing Food Imports: By strengthening domestic and regional production systems, CARICOM aims to cut reliance on imported food.
- Boosting Intra-Regional Trade: Countries are now producing with the explicit goal of supplying regional markets. Some have already surpassed 100% self-sufficiency in key commodities.
- Enhancing Regional Technical Capacity: Baugh emphasized the importance of building local expertise:
“We want to use the technical expertise which exists in the Region to build in the Region,” Baugh added.
Consultations with private sector actors, producer organizations, and farmers have revealed strong interest in value-added production and regional trade. The next phase of the initiative is expected to roll out in January 2026, with a focus on implementation and scaling successful models.
As CARICOM leaders meet in Montego Bay, Baugh’s message is clear: the Region is not only on the right path—it is building a resilient, self-sustaining agricultural future.
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The post CARICOM’s Food Security push ‘Transformative and Strategic,’ says Agriculture Manager Shaun Baugh appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Tuesday, July 8, 2025. 5:13 pm CST. Shaun Baugh, Programme Manager for Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Development at the CARICOM Secretariat – Photo Credit: Caricom.org By
The post CARICOM’s Food Security push ‘Transformative and Strategic,’ says Agriculture Manager Shaun Baugh appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.