by Kelleray Miles (Jamaica Observer) Amid growing imports of hair extension and other beauty products, Caricom Chairman Roosevelt Skeritt recently made an appeal for consumers of the region to increase their appetite for locally made products.
Speaking at the just-concluded Caricom heads of government conference, Skerrit, who is also the prime minister of Dominica, said that in the wake of heightened concerns about food security, greater effort needs to be made around consuming what we produce as a region, especially if the Caribbean is to achieve its target of cutting the food import bill by at least a quarter by 2025.
In working towards this, he called for the sharing of knowledge, expertise and resources, noting however that countries if they are to truly achieve the objective, they must first begin to embark on a united front to improve and increase the production and quality of agricultural and other products in the Caribbean community.
“We have to eat what we produce! The power really is not in the hands of governments — the power of reducing the food import bill is in the hands of the people/consumers of the Caribbean. This, as the supermarkets will sell what we buy,” he stated, urging particularly women to lead the charge.
