It may or may not have occurred to our local Ministry of Agriculture that reputable international food security monitoring sources continue to upgrade the breadfruit as a strategically important food source, moreso, in the light of the food security challenges arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on global food production.
Breadfruit is known to be high in complex carbohydrates, low in fat, and cholesterol and, significantly, gluten free. It has a moderate blood sugar shock compared to white potato, white rice and white bread. Little wonder that, both here in the Caribbean and in North America and Europe, Breadfruit appears to be growing in popularity.
Here in the Caribbean two member countries of the Community, Barbados and St. Lucia appear to have been alerted to what would appears to be a renewed international breadfruit craze. In the instance of Barbados the authorities there say that they have already passed on to farmers on the island, intelligence which they have received about the demand in North America for breadfruit and beyond. The farmers in Barbados have been alerted to an order from Canada and have been challenged to respond to it.
St. Lucia, which first exported breadfruit to the United States in 2018, is reportedly following up on the expanded demand for the product in North America and is seeking to expand its production in order to cash in on the current wave of demand for the product here.
Where, one might ask, is Guyana in all this? Guyana, possesses a much larger agricultural sector than either Barbados or St. Lucia and ought to be much better positioned to respond to external market demand. Where then is the local mechanism for garnering such information and, afterwards, strategically working with local farmers to help secure a slice of that international market?
It is no secret that Guyana, given the size of its agricultural sector is infinitely better positioned than any other CARICOM country to cultivate and export breadfruit. Herein lies the opportunity for the consolidation of regional breadfruit consignments for export to Europe, North America and other international markets for which the region should be collectively competing.
Breadfruit, apart from being far from unpopular locally, has attracted considerable acclaim for its nutritional qualities. That said, the level of its consumption locally is not sufficiently high as to cause no room to be left to take limited but potentially profitable advantage of the international market.
The view has been expressed time and again that setting aside its two traditional ‘bread and butter’ agricultural commodities, sugar and rice, Guyana has not, over the years, made anything even remotely resembling a diligent effort to seek out substantial international markets (these may not necessarily be huge ones) for other agricultural commodities, the sale of which can serve to add to the earnings of local farmers. Truth be told, the Ministry of Agriculture has not, historically, demonstrated the capacity to aggressively seek out international markets for agricultural commodities cultivated here in Guyana whilst the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), a Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and the designated entity for promoting locally produced agricultural goods both at home and abroad has always been seriously underequipped to do so effectively.
Here, it is not too early to raise the question as to whether the official preoccupation with the country’s pursuit of the coveted petro state status is not unfolding side by side with the shrinking of our standing as a producer and exporter of food. Indeed, evidence that a huge slice of the governance infrastructure has been quickly committed to driving the ‘oil and gas economy,’ leaves one to wonder whether we may not be that far away from becoming a net importer of food.
At the recent meeting gathering of Caribbean Community Heads of Government in Belize it appeared that President Irfaan Ali was officially anointed as the ‘Lead Head’ on regional food security. The President, it has to be said, is being asked to bat on a decidedly sticky wicket. His anointing at a time when, perhaps more than ever before in the region’s recent history, food security has become a matter of the utmost urgency. Whether Guyana, given what are known to be its current preoccupations, is sufficiently focused to play the ‘lead’ role in piloting the Caribbean to a place of food security is by no means an absurd question to raise. Leading the Caribbean to a place of food security that allows it to take greater steps forward in pursuit of a condition of development requires leadership that is targeted and focused and however unpleasant it may be the question simply has to be asked. Is Guyana ideally positioned to deliver that leadership at this time?
