OECS Governments Must Unite for Agricultural Advancement: Agriculture Minister, Roland Royer
Speaking at the 7th Meeting of the OECS Council of Ministers: Agriculture, Dominica’s Agriculture Minister, Roland Royer, urged OECS Governments to strengthen their collaborative efforts in the agricultural sector. As Chair of the Council, Royer addressed the meeting, held in Grenada on June 30, emphasizing the imperative of cooperation to achieve the region’s goals for food security and increased productivity.
To counter threats such as labor shortages in farming, the loss of biodiversity, and emerging agricultural pests, Royer suggested sharing knowledge, best practices, and fostering innovation.
These challenges are not unique to Dominica, therefore the collaborative effort and coordination critical for retooling the agricultural sector… must be captured in our discussions on the FAST strategy.
Hon. Roland Royer, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy.
Royer also highlighted the need to prioritize activities that strengthen regional agricultural trade and increase the demand for healthy food. This, he believed, could help mitigate the rising trend of non-communicable diseases. He also called for an expansion of production in key commodity sub-sectors, particularly livestock and high-value crops, and an increased focus on agro-processing to add value to targeted commodities.
The meeting in Grenada sought to determine priority actions under the OECS Food and Agriculture Systems Transformation (FAST) Strategy for regional implementation. The strategy aims to establish competitive and sustainable practices that will increase food self-reliance, consumption of nutritious food, and socio-economic development.
Three core areas were endorsed for the OECS Commission’s work programme on Agriculture for the next three years. These include private sector development: production, processing, and distribution; transport, logistics and trade; and climate-resilient agriculture. A governance structure was established to guide and monitor the implementation, including a designated youth in agriculture programme and a focus on data and statistics.
In his address, Minister Royer emphasized the critical role of youth participation in the region’s sustainable development. He spoke about Dominica’s vision to develop the agricultural sector into the leading contributor to national economic development, pledging to reallocate resources to facilitate the modernization of agriculture through new technologies, and promoting women and youth involvement.
Minister Royer’s next engagement will be the 43rd Conference of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in Rome from July 1-7, 2023.
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