Pacific follows CWA’s lead

Cultural presentation at the opening ceremony of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2014, Paramaribo, Suriname

In its quest to improve its agricultural sector, the Pacific is looking to the Caribbean for leadership as it moves to hold a Pacific Week of Agriculture next year.

To this end, Pacific agriculture officials, including a Minister, attended the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) 2014 in Paramaribo, Suriname to gain an insight into the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) annual agricultural event.

A roving event, the CWA features seminars and workshops on critical and emerging issues in the sector, as well as an exhibition and trade show, and a special meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic development (COTED). This year, at the Suriname Chamber of Commerce, there were eleven seminars and three workshops where participants held discussions on topics that pivoted around the theme of the CWA, Transforming Caribbean Agriculture Through Family Farming.

The Hon. David Tosul Butulso, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Biosecurity of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific, said that the CWA would be used as a model for the Pacific Week of Agriculture. The Minister’s Director-General, and staff from the South Pacific Commission were also at the CWA.

I came here with my Director-General, and already…I have learned a lot. I came here as an observer… Thanks to the Caribbean countries for organizing this special forum. I came here today to bring back something to my country and also to the Pacific Islands. We are planning to organize similar things that you have organized… The family farming system that we use is very similar to yours, and that’s why we feel that it is important that we learn from you and help our family farmers to build up the small economy in Vanuatu,” he told the seminar on Family Farming on Monday.

 

Minister of Agriculture of Vanuatu, the Hon.David Tosul Butulso (right) with Member of the Suriname CWA Organising Committee, Philip Tjang-A-Tjon, and Suriname Minister of Agriculture, His Excellency Soeresh Algoe observe craft production at the exhibition and trade show, Paramaribo, Suriname, 8 October,2014

Last year, in Georgetown, Guyana, two Ministers of Agriculture from the Pacific Islands, Tonga Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. Sione Sangster Saulala, and Samoa Associate Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. Lautafi Fio Selafi Purcell, participated in the CWA.

Mr. Michael Hailu, Director of the Centre for Technical and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), in recognition of the success of the CWA had recommended at the conclusion of CWA 2013 that the event be used as an example for other regions to emulate .

“I think this is the only region where there is a specific week every year dealing with agriculture. So we want to encourage other regions to do the same,” Mr. Hailu said then.

At the formal opening of CWA on Wednesday evening, Mr. Hailu noted that an important area of the work of the CTA was promoting cross-learning among the ACP regions.

“They may be thousands of kilometres apart, but the Caribbean and Pacific countries have much in common, including similar challenges facing their agricultural sectors. In many cases, these countries can really learn from each other about what works and where,” Mr. Hailu said.