The seventh international Caribbean Poultry Association (CPA) technical symposium began here on Tuesday, with delegates being reminded of the “critical importance” of agriculture in the Caribbean.

“Agriculture has been a cornerstone of Caribbean economies for centuries, providing livelihoods for millions of people, nourishing communities, and shaping cultural identities,” said Joseph Cox, assistant secretary-general, Economic Integration, Innovation and Development, at the Guyana-based Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat.

He told delegates, however, the sector faces myriad challenges, including climate change, land degradation, water scarcity, and market volatility, which all threaten its long-term viability and resilience.

The three-day event is being held under the theme “Sustainability & Resilience in the Caribbean Poultry Sector”, and Cox said that the agriculture sector has not been spared the negative impacts of the geopolitical conflicts of recent vintage which have led to pervasive logistics challenges within the global trade for commodities that have resulted in severe supply chain bottlenecks and delays.

He said the poultry industry will play a significant role in the Caricom’s vision of reducing the food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.

But he said that the approach which must be pursued for the poultry industry is one that focuses on promoting increased production and productivity through investment, digitization, and adaptation of new technologies.

“These investments must encourage interventions, which seek to amalgamate the efforts of the member states and the private sector. In this case the CPA. There are existing and ongoing examples such as the corn and soya production in Belize and Guyana, and the offering of land for agricultural development in Suriname supported by an environment which will occasion the movement of agricultural workers throughout the region. “

Cox said that poultry ranks as the highest imported meat product for the region averaging a total of US$149 million. He said the seven-member Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) as a bloc account for US$54.5 million of imports with The Bahamas being the single largest importer amounting to US$30.8 million.

Cox said while Belize and Guyana are self-sufficient in poultry production, the “case of Jamaica is indicative whereas as at 2022 some 75 per cent of the hatching eggs were imported with Jamaica Broilers being the only local broiler with a local hatchery that produces some 40 per cent of their fertile egg needs.

“This is compounded by the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in the US which has led to the severe challenges being faced by individual and contract farmers to source baby chicks for both their broiler and layer operations.”

Cox said that the regional chief veterinary officers are now developing the necessary response plan working with stakeholders to ensure that there is a safe and steady supply of hatching eggs and day one chicks which are critical for the region’s food security.

“The Caricom Secretariat through its Agricultural Development Unit and CAHFSA stand ready to continue to provide the necessary support which will be needed to be able to tackle this real and present danger to the poultry industry.

“It is our intention to advance the draft regional bio-security instruments (Draft Model legislation) to assist member states and other stakeholders to prevent, manage and respond to any such future challenges.”

Cox said notwithstanding, the figures indicate the importance of the sector to the region and highlight the immense poultry sector investment opportunity that obtains.

“When the region can feed itself, it protects communities from exogenous shocks and supports the growth and supports the expansion of other related industries such as the grains and the feed sector. Said another way, there are real opportunities for the region’s private sector through the poultry industry. Research indicates that there currently exists a US$150-million opportunity.”

Cox said that the poultry industry has provided a fillip to stimulate economic growth and create employment opportunities across the agricultural value chain and that this is particularly pronounced in the rural communities of the region.

“From small-scale farmers engaged in backyard poultry rearing to large-scale commercial operations involved in hatchery management, feed production, and meat processing, the poultry sector offers diverse avenues for income generation, livelihood improvement and inclusive growth.”

But Cox told the delegates that one of the fundamental questions which continue to occupy the minds of policy makers across the region is how to increase the level of private investment while simultaneously improving total factor productivity growth (TFPG) thereby fostering sustainable economic growth over the medium term.

He said this requires even more focused attention on improving the business climate and for the state to adapt to its role of facilitator in the new paradigm.

“This necessitates that transaction costs are minimised and that the requisite transparency guarantees which are associated with an optimized public policy are provided. Therefore, across the region we need to be ever mindful of a burgeoning bureaucracy and a costly regulatory environment which create effective barriers to formal investments and are a disincentive to increased productivity and growth.”

Cox said creating a supportive policy environment is vital for the growth and sustainability of the Caribbean poultry industry.

He said in that regard, governments must always remain mindful to formulate policies that encourage sustainable practices, prioritize food safety and quality, and enhance market access for smallholder farmers.

Cox said by aligning policies with sustainable development, the region can foster investment, innovation, and collaboration, leading to positive socio-economic and environmental impacts.

“Indeed, it is the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), which was born out of the vision of our past leaders to create that enabling environment for Caribbean growth and development, which represents the overarching construct within which the Caribbean poultry sector now operates, governed by a set of regional policies and rules on human and animal health and trade that finds their basis in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC), which is the cornerstone of the regional integration movement.”

He said that the CSME, which allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labour and services across the region, as a unified commercial and economic space, in its ultimate construct, is intended to assist in the achievement of Caribbean economic growth and development by promoting the more efficient use of the resources that are available throughout the Community.

In his address to the conference, Finance Minister Colm Imbert, who is also the Trinidad and Tobago acting Prime Minister, told the audience that poultry production serves as the “backbone” of food security providing more than 80 per cent of the high-quality protein consumed in diets of Trinidad and Tobago nationals.

“It supports thousands of livelihoods from farm workers to processors and stimulates related industries, including feed production, veterinary services and equipment supply,” Imbert said, adding that chicken remains the top staple in terms of the diets of Trinidadians.

He said the poultry sector’s significance extends beyond economics, saying “it is vital to our national identity and food sovereignty.

“As such the continued growth of the poultry industry is imperative, not only to meet the increasing demands for protein… but also to ensure that this growth is environmentally sustainable and economically viable”.

He said the poulty industry has “much potential” with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in addressing high food prices in the Caribbean and noted that the poultry industry has an annual gross income estimated at more than US$500 million.