-Special COTED meet hears

Jamaica Agriculture Minister Christopher Tufton says that the regional focus on the agriculture sector has not veered beyond its contribution to GDP and he urged that real attention be paid to it in the face of rising commodity prices globally.

Tufton made these points at the opening session of the Special Caricom Council for Trade and Economic Deve-lopment (COTED) meeting yesterday. He told his colleagues that the region runs a serious risk of undervaluing the role of agriculture and insisted that it includes more that just food on the table.

“Agriculture is indeed more than food on the table and provides the basis for a manufacturing sector; it supports tourism, contributes to the transportation sector and is a significant driver of rural development. Taken within this wider context, there is no sector as critical as the agricultural sector, particularly at this point in time,” he said. Tufton who chaired the special COTED, underscored that there is still a significant gap between words and statement of intent on one hand and real action, on the other. To this end, he said that urgent action needs to be taken as regards building the region’s research capacity in agricultural production and productivity……