GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat Monday said it has signed a cooperation agreement with the Central American Agricultural Council (CAC) to improve agricultural development in the 15-member grouping.
The agreement will also allow for strengthening agriculture trade ties between CARICOM and the Central American Integration System (SICA), the organization said.
CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett and CAC’s executive secretary, Lucrecia Rodríguez Peñalba, signed the agreement “which entered into force immediately (and) stemmed from the CARICOM-SICA Plan of Action which Foreign Ministers of the two regions signed in Belize on 2 March 2022”.
The Secretariat said that the agreement marks a milestone in the relationship between CARICOM and the CAC and focuses on promoting programs, projects, and mechanisms that drive agricultural and rural development in SICA and CARICOM.
The agreement covers critical areas such as climate-adapted sustainable agriculture, food security, agricultural productivity, agricultural digitalization, and regional agricultural trade. This also promotes the reduction of tariffs, improves infrastructure and logistical capacities, fosters public-private partnerships, strengthens sub-regional value chains, and enhances food security in both regions.
“The signing of this agreement demonstrates our shared commitment to working together to address the common challenges we face in the agricultural and trade sectors,’ said Barnett. In contrast, Peñalba said the accord “represents a significant step towards improving our food systems, adapting to climate change, and strengthening family farming in our regions.”
The Secretariat said the agreement “reflects the commitment of both organizations to work together to achieve sustainable agricultural and rural development in Central America and the Caribbean.”
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