The boys from Brazil

Aug 25, 2022 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – The President of Guyana, at an event hosted in Bartica, said that he is interested in getting things done. He told those who are interested in gaff to check out Critic.

The President’s presentation, however, to the Agri-Investment Forum in Trinidad sounded like gaff. There were the usual clichés about the right mindset and about bringing the population on board the food security agenda.

But there were also some inaccuracies. The President said that there are not many examples of other communities setting specific targets. Supposedly he meant food security-related targets since the European Union (EU) is known to have set targets including for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The EU is developing such a plan for food security inside and outside of its community. It has already announced a massive plan for offering emergency food and humanitarian aid. The EU is almost self-sufficient for food security but the supply and production of certain foods have been disrupted by the conflict in the Ukraine. As a result the EU knows that it will have to find substitute supplies for at least 25 million tonnes of grain.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Community (APEC) has developed a 10-year food security roadmap since 2021. The road map sets specific targets which member states will pursue to ensure accessible, affordable and nutritious food for all.

APEC and the EU are therefore far ahead of CARICOM when it comes to setting food security targets. The President therefore should not be misled into believing that other communities are not setting targets.

During his presentation, the President mentioned a facility which he saw and which was at the cutting edge of packaging. He would have also seen how far ahead of Guyana the twin-island is when it comes to the use of technology.  President Ali lauded the role of Republic Bank in providing financing for food production. Given his mind-blowing experience in Trinidad and Tobago, he may wish to have a chat with his Vice President who spoke less than complimentary about Trinidad’s economy.

In his presentation, President Ali spoke about areas of progress. Jamaica he said has already reached 25 percent of its targets and has increased production of onions and Irish potatoes. St Lucia was also doing well in terms of increasing the production of fruits and vegetables. But he raised alarm bells in Guyana when he mentioned that Trinidad and Tobago had increased its production by 83 metric tonnes.

The President however failed to appreciate that increased production does not automatically translate to reduced extra-regional imports. The President presented no statistics – it is likely none were available – as to how much the region’s food imports have declined as result of all this increased production he bragged about.

Trinidad was supposed to be a major market for Guyana’s poultry. The Government of Guyana has zero-rated everything when it comes to poultry production. But Trinidad has jumped ahead and is now likely to not want to import poultry from Guyana. So is President Ali’s food security agenda boomeranging against his own country?

Not really! You see, as this column had suggested some time back, the prime beneficiaries of Guyana’s drive to be become self-sufficient in corn and soya production will be Brazil. Guyana is outsourcing its food security in feedstock to Brazil.

It was therefore not surprising that following the end of the forum in Trinidad and Tobago, the President flew to Brazil to inspect some food facilities in the Roraima Region. He also did mention during his presentation that the Brazilians can add value to our food system and create a chain right through to Miami.

Brazil’s northern state of Roraima is exerting tremendous influence. They have already made an unprecedented request for representation on the Special Ministerial Task Force on Food Production and Food Security in the Caribbean Community. They again got honourable mention during President Ali’s presentation in Trinidad and Tobago

Brazil will become the prime producer of corn and soya in Guyana. Sure enough, the local private sector will get a bite – they have already established, at no cost to the Brazilians, that corn and soya can be feasibly grown in Guyana. The Brazilians will now come and dominate the production of corn and soya.

But will they stop there? The Brazilians have already shown that rice can be grown on the Intermediate Savannahs. They cultivated an exotic brand of rice. But you can never tell, they may want to venture into producing the same varieties of rice which are produced and consumed locally. If that happens, local rice exports will be displaced.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

 

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