‘Food and water more important than oil’

May 20, 2022 News

– PM Mottley tells Agri Investment Forum

By Davina Bagot

Kaieteur News – After cheering President Irfaan Ali on for being the host of the inaugural Agri Investment Forum which provides Regional leaders an opportunity to tap into the rich resources available in the respective Caribbean countries, Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley went on to caution that food and water remain priority rather than oil, at a time when the global supply chain remains grounded, due to strains from the pandemic and the European war between Russia and Ukraine, especially.

Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley addresses the inaugural Agri Investment Forum (Photo credit: Office of the President)

While turning slightly from her audience at the National Cultural Centre to address the Guyanese Head of State, Irfaan Ali Mottley said “…to do what you have done in the last 18 months is nothing short of phenomenal and let me say my friends that we have suspected it for some time but we now know it; food and water are as important or more important than oil.”
Prefacing this guidance, the Prime Minister and fifth speaker at the opening ceremony of the forum told the delegates that “we are here together at a most critical time in our history.” She explained that as of May 17, 2022 several countries have moved to impose export restrictions, in a bid to secure food for their people. Specifically, Mottley highlighted that Indonesia have imposed export restrictions on palm oil, while sunflower seeds and oil as well as wheat have been banned from export by Russia. Similarly, Ukraine has also stopped exporting wheat and oats, while Argentina too has extended export restrictions on beef products until next year. India and Kazakhstan most recently have restricted exports of wheat too, contributing to a global shortage in baby formula.
Mottley, who co-chairs the One Heal Global Initiative, said that the worrying trend is likely to continue as governments move to safeguard their food supply, in the face of soaring inflation. To this end, she said, “We are at that moment in time where it is up to us to stand up to the challenge or to recognise that the consequences of it will indeed be difficult and potentially devastating for our people.”
The Barbados leader even noted that the 25 by 2025 initiative, which seeks to cut the regional import bill by 25 percent, come 2025 may even need to be revised to take this goal to 50 percent, especially since “a crisis like no other is before us”.
She added, “I trust and pray that we would move with greater energy on these issues, but more importantly that the example of the disruption of the global supply chain and the combination of the climate crisis that can take out Miami for three (to) four (or) six weeks and hence no ship coming with food from Miami what happens? That those two examples now hopefully would allow us to have a different response when we argue once again for special and differential treatment, especially for small island, developing states and landlocked countries…”
Only yesterday, Kaieteur News reported on the impacts oil production projects have been having on the environment and the local economy. For instance, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL)—ExxonMobil Guyana—has in its project summary for its fifth project conceded that it will, in addition to emitting additional Green House Gases into the atmosphere can possibly decimate not only the fishing industry, but could also potentially impact beaches, mangroves, and wetlands as wildlife habitat. As such, according to the company, throughout the life of the project, there will be a continued threat to Guyana’s environment and marine habitat in the event of an unplanned event such as an oil spill.
Meanwhile, Guyana continues to ignore the advice of specialists in the field who have specifically cautioned against harmful projects. Ghanian President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during the International Energy Conference and Expo back in February this year, had shared, “To ensure energy sustainability, it is critical that we balance carefully social, economic and environmental benefits in a continuously changing world. No energy project therefore, no matter how high its return on value is worth it if the interest or some or majority of the stakeholders are not properly represented and they are left impoverished and dissatisfied.”
He had told a packed conference room that specific measures must be taken to mitigate such dreaded trends, resulting from poor management of the oil and gas sector. Ghana, a west-African country, with a wealth of experience in the oil industry, given over 10 years in oil production, has been mentoring Guyana as the country progresses with its oil and gas production.