St Vincent’s Minister of Agriculture Saboto Ceasar is currently in Antigua and Barbuda with a delegation for the 21st Eastern Caribbean Ministerial Meeting on Fisheries and the Sustainable Use of Marine Resources.
Speaking at the opening ceremony Caesar told Ministers that as they sit as a grouping to discuss the very pertinent issue of fisheries and the sustainable management of the region’s resources, they must appreciate the fierce urgency of now, as it pertains to the development of the fisheries sector.
“The fact that we have been able to mobilize the ministers to be here and the delegations and the government and people of Japan. It is clear that we are expressing the political will to develop the fisheries sector and manage the resources that we have. Importantly we have a legislative framework within which to work and it is clearly laid out in the revised treaty of Chaguaramas for CARICOM and the treaty of Basseterre for the OECS”.
The Minister said that the region has obligations under the law of the seas convention and is working with many institutions and organizations including IWC and ICAT.
”I wish for Ministers going forward to focus on how to mobilize the factors of production to come up with practical solutions to address the issues we are facing. We boast of having a seascape with a great abundance of marine resources. We share the resources of the high seas, which we all know is clearly spelt out In the Law of the Seas Convention, which is the common heritage of mankind. However, we are at the stage in the Caribbean, in CARICOM and the OECS, whereby there is a dire need for cutting edge technology to harness the resources we speak about in the Blue economy”.
Caesar stated that there is a significant need for the mobilization of capital as a factor of production, taking into consideration, that at every turn, we must create that very delicate balance between exploitation for livelihoods and sustainability.
Caesar urged Ministers to appreciate the fundamental principles and precepts that must always have a central pillar in the conversation and that is ‘’food security”.
”Food must always be affordable, available and accessible”, Caesar said.
