Suriname has made strides toward becoming an important food source to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) as it aims to lower its import bills for food to 25% over two years. Barbados will be the main beneficiary of Surinamese agriculture-based products.

The announcement was given by Suriname’s Minister of Agriculture Parmanand Sewdien at a celebration to mark the debut flight of Surinam Airways to Barbados. Sewdien stated that his nation is well on the way to achieving its goals in the near future, with Barbados expecting to get 10,000 kg of produce from the farm each week through Surinam Airways’ flights from Paramaribo.

Sewdien emphasized the need for nutrition security across the Caribbean in his speech, saying that head of state from the region had decided to cut the import cost for food by one-quarter within two years. Sewdien cited figures of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, who estimates that around 800 million people suffer from hunger.

Sewdien recognized Belize, Guyana and Suriname as being able to be major suppliers of food for the Caribbean. Although there were initial hurdles, like the understanding of phytosanitary regulations as well as conducting assessment of pest risks, Suriname received approval from Barbados in the last two months to import 12 different products.

Surinam Airways, the state-owned airline, has played a vital role in solving logistics issues that arise from the export of its fruits and vegetables. Over the last few months, Suriname has increased its shipment of bananas to Barbados to help address the lack of specific fruits and vegetables. Suriname plans on expanding its exports to the island, including passionfruit dragon fruit, the watermelon, pumpkin and lemons.

Sewdien added the presence of a delegation from Suriname will participate in Agrofest 2024, which will be held in Barbados showing a wide range of items. The move aligns with broader efforts of the region to improve the security of food and lessen the import dependence of food products.

Source: Barbados Today