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| Minister of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management, Dr. David Estwick, welcoming Israeli Ambassador to Barbados, Amiram Magid to his office. (A. Gaskin/BGIS)?? |
The challenges impacting the regional agricultural sector were among the issues discussed recently during a courtesy call between Israeli Ambassador to Barbados, Amiram Magid and Minister of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management, Dr. David Estwick.
Dr. Estwick cited the underdevelopment of linkages between agriculture and other industries such as tourism and business and the difficultly in accessing funding for various agricultural programmes as two of the major issues affecting the growth of agriculture in the Caribbean.
The Israeli envoy said many countries were also experiencing difficulty in transitioning their agricultural sectors from a traditional to a business model and he suggested that this was one area in which both countries could collaborate.
In this regard, Dr. Estwick updated Ambassador Magid on efforts to establish the new University of the West Indies’ Centre for Food Security and Entrepreneurship in St. Thomas, which he pointed out would employ science and technology as part of a modern agricultural sector.
Ambassador Magid added that training in agriculture was another area where both countries could further strengthen ties.