Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness says bureaucracy is strangling agricultural investment in the Caribbean, requiring faster and more strategic regulation to help Jamaica and the region modernise farming to open the door to attracting technology-driven investments.
Holness outlined that position while addressing Sunday’s opening ceremony of the 20th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny.
The six-day event is focused on investment, export expansion, climate resilience, technology and the transformation of Caribbean food systems.
While making it clear that he was not calling for an end to regulation, Holness said government agencies must move with greater urgency when dealing with investors seeking to introduce new technologies, controlled agricultural processes, seeds, livestock and specialised equipment.
“My protest is not that we must not regulate. My protest is that we must be speedier, faster, more strategic in how we regulate,” he said.
Holness said the problem was particularly acute for investments that are seeking to move quickly and are highly integrated with technology.
“They want to move fast, but then they must contend with local regulations regarding the importation of seeds and stocks and the kind of equipment that comes in,” he told the more than 650 delegates from 34 countries in attendance.
“I’m certain, as I’m speaking for Jamaica, by virtue of the nods that I’m seeing all around the room, that this is a common challenge across the region.”
Holness said if Caribbean countries are serious about transforming agriculture, governments must improve the speed at which they regulate.
“If we are going to have any radical change in our agriculture, the government must be an instrumental partner, alongside the private sector in the establishment of a system of long-term supply contracts where farmers can invest with the security of knowing there is a market for their products,” he noted.
He also took a swipe at bureaucracy within his own Government, recounting an exchange with Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Minister Floyd Green over delays affecting the sector.
“The minister is nodding his head because he knows I’ve been at him regarding the bureaucratic approach that is sometimes taken in agriculture,” said Holness. “But then he refers me to his permanent secretary. You see the bureaucracy already? Even in agriculture, bureaucracy is a problem.”
Holness said the regulatory environment must facilitate rather than frustrate investment while maintaining necessary safeguards.
He further argued that faster regulation would be critical as the region seeks to introduce precision farming, improved crop varieties, digital technologies and more efficient production systems.
Holness also called for governments and the private sector to establish long-term supply contracts to make agriculture more attractive to investors and financial institutions.
“We tend to see agriculture as a short-term endeavour that is not bankable,” he said.
He also identified several obstacles to greater intra-Caribbean agricultural trade.
“We must address the transportation bottleneck, unnecessary administrative requirements, and non-tariff barriers that restrict agricultural commerce within our region,” he said.
albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com
