2023 Agri Forum and Expo attracting strong CARICOM, foreign support

There will be strong participation from fellow CARICOM member states and organisations, foreign countries and international agricultural organisations at this year’s Agri Investment Forum and Expo later this month.

This was disclosed by CARICOM’s Assistant Secretary-General of Economic Integration, Innovation and Development, Joseph Cox during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI).

Cox made the disclosure following a meeting of the expo’s planning committee at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal on Tuesday.

“What we are expecting coming out of this and given our role at CARICOM where we have been apprising all member states and apprising the various stakeholders, is to have fulsome participation from every country,” Cox said.   

He added that the interest in the expo and feedback remains consistent among these countries.

“We are looking at a number of countries that have expressed interest, whether or not they are establishing booths or just that they are attending.”

Meanwhile, the assistant secretary-general who is also on the committee, stated that the preparations are moving apace with cooperation from all stakeholders.

Further, representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Dr. Gillian Smith said that her delegation will have a booth that will benefit local farmers.

“We are going to focus our booth on food systems. We are going to highlight the specifics that are needed to positively transform the agri sector,” she stressed.

Dr. Smith added that a policy advisor will be part of the delegation and will be facilitating discussions with stakeholders.

“We want to ensure that farmers, especially the small and the medium size farmers find inclusive markets so that their products can be…included in this 25 by 25 push,” posited the FAO representative.

The 2023 Agri Investment Forum and Expo is slated for October 20 to 22 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. It will be celebrated under the theme ‘Achieving Vision 25 by 2025.’

The expo is expected to see over 100 exhibitors, both local and international, showcasing their various agricultural products, equipment and other services.