BASSETERRE, St Kitts – The 121st Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED – Agriculture) has been hailed a success, with regional leaders agreeing to three landmark measures designed to transform intra-regional trade and strengthen food security across the Caribbean.
Chairman of the 121st Special Meeting of COTED – Agriculture, Barbados’ Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir.Chairman of the meeting, Barbados’ Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir, said the decisions taken would empower farmers, agribusinesses, and regional supply chains.
Among the agreements reached were: a pre-clearance mechanism for goods, aimed at simplifying and harmonising customs processes to allow freer movement of goods within CARICOM; a regional risk analysis framework, ensuring clarity, transparency, and consistency in how agricultural risk assessments are conducted, reducing barriers to trade; and an e-agriculture strategy, enabling electronic sharing of market information and the online marketing of agricultural goods, creating more efficient regional markets.
Minister Weir noted that the breakthroughs directly support CARICOM’s goal of cutting the region’s extra-regional food import bill.
“These three agreements represent significant progress for CARICOM. They will enable smoother, more efficient trade flows between our member states while strengthening the framework for agricultural development across the region, he said. “In addition, they directly support our collective objective of reducing the region’s food import bill from extra-regional sources by 25 per cent by the year 2030. This target, which we set together as a region, can now be achieved through the measures adopted at this meeting.”
Weir said the pre-clearance mechanism for goods “represents an historic achievement for CARICOM, as it removes long-standing obstacles to inter-regional trade”.
“By easing trade among member states, we are giving our farmers, producers, and traders the ability to compete more effectively, while strengthening regional supply chains,” he said.
He further explained that the agreement on regional risk eliminates unnecessary barriers and ensures that risk assessments are conducted in a consistent and balanced way that supports regional trade rather than hinders it.
“For too long, CARICOM has been constrained by barriers that limited the free movement of goods among ourselves, while our food import bill continued to grow,” he said. “By addressing these challenges head-on, COTED – Agriculture has taken decisive steps toward ensuring food and nutrition security for our people, reducing our dependence on external markets, and strengthening our sovereignty.”
The meeting, which formed part of Caribbean Week of Agriculture in St. Kitts and Nevis, brought together ministers, officials, and technical experts from across the Community. Weir commended their spirit of cooperation, stressing that the outcomes prove “when we work together with a common purpose, we can deliver transformative outcomes for our region.”
He added, “The decisions taken in St. Kitts and Nevis are historic. They will shape the future of regional trade, empower our farmers and agribusinesses, and create opportunities for our people. This is what regional integration is about – building a stronger Caribbean Community that can thrive in the global economy while ensuring prosperity and food security for all.”
