Grenada’s Agri-Food Sector to Expand with EU, CDB aid
October 4, 2021
(Caribbean Development Bank Press Release) Grenada’s farmers can look forward to increasing their exports of fresh produce following the implementation of the Agri-Food Sector Development and Strengthening of the National Food Safety System project.
Launched on September 29, 2021 and financed by the European Union’s EPA and CSME Standby Facility, the two-year EUR 236,070 project will help to strengthen the productive capacity and significantly improve the collection and distribution of fresh produce in Grenada.
The initiative will offer training to those along the agriculture value chain in food safety management and also provide refrigerated trucks for transportation of fresh produce to enhance output quality and minimise loss and wastage.
Agriculture in Grenada contributes to 6.4% of GDP and generates 7.3% employment. Since 2014, the country has averaged 30% annual growth in the sector. Against this background, Ms. Jacinta Joseph, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Grenada noted the project was timely, aligning with the Government’s development agenda for boosting the contribution of the agriculture and fisheries sector by prioritising investment in infrastructure, improving market access, food security, organic production and safe, healthy consumption. She suggested that one of the consequences of Covid-19 was the need to strengthen the resilience of the region’s food systems. Ms. Joseph continued that through the new project,
“Our ability to enter and compete in new markets will be enhanced through the improvement of the infrastructure needed to maintain the quality and safety of goods and services and to ensure the conformity with international standards.”
Grenada’s Marketing and National Importing Board’s (MNIB) Chief Executive Officer Ms. Afiya Joseph expressed gratitude for the much-needed partnerships and the strategic collaborations which brought the project to fruition. The benefits to their clients and those along the value chain would be significant and further enable the MNIB to further achieve its mandate of promoting local produce.
Mr. Robert Medford of the Grenada Bureau of Standards (GDBS), the project’s implementing agency, indicated that the activity would directly and positively impact the agri-food sector and supporting agency which plays a highly critical role in the eco-system.
To read more about this story, you can visit Grenada’s Agri-Food Sector to Expand with EU, CDB aid.
Staff Writer, CARICOM October 4, 2021