Caribbean blah blah blah

Declining aid flows and the transition from traditional agriculture constitute a
major economic challenge. at a time
when exogenous shocks have
become more common place and at a time when Governments are facing strong
political mandates to improve social and economic conditions.

8. When governments are carrying out policies for improvement of socio-economic circumstances, and external distresses have become a norm, decreasing aid flows and the shift from conventional agriculture create a severe economic difficulty.

There is no denying that developed countries argue strongly for freedom of markets while
they are reluctant to eliminate their own large agricultural subsidies or their harsh restrictions on freedom of labour. it is difficult to deny
that some Caribbean countries have not exactly taken advantage of the long
period of preferential market access to increase productivity in the sugar and
bananas sector.
9. It can’t be denied that first world countries fight for liberty of markets while hesitant to remove their own agricultural grants or their cruel limits on freedom of labour. At the same time however, it is hard to deny that Caribbean countries haven’t utilized the long duration of favoured market access to increase productivity in the agricultural sector.

It is largely our fault that after all these years the estimated cost of production and export of sugar in Guyana and Belize – the lowest cost Caribbean producers, is 50 to 60 percent higher than that of the higher cost free market exporters. Similarly in bananas, the Caribbean countries are the highest cost
producers in the world,

10. We are mainly responsible for production and export of sugar in Guyana and Belize being significantly greater than that of the higher cost free market exporters. With bananas as well, Caribbean countries are the highest cost producers internationally.
Given the impending further erosion of preferential arrangements for
sugar and bananas, in the next five years, few (if any) of the current regional
exporters will be able to export profitably.
11. In the near future, some Caribbean exporters will be able to export profitably.
This brings us to the imperatives of economic restructuring
With the current open trade regime, the challenge for the Caribbean is to quickly develop new high productivity sectors that could drive the region’s developmental thrust. The reality in the Caribbean is that the regional agricultural sector will find it difficult to be globally competitive for the same reasons that affected sugar and bananas.
12. The Caribbean’s trial is rapid development of high productivity sectors to push the regional development thrust. The Caribbean’s agricultural sector will have difficulty in being globally competitive in the same way as sugar and bananas were affected.