President Bharrat Jagdeo will be approaching financial institutions on the possibility of establishing a special financing window for small states, explicitly recognising the characteristics related to size, the nature of the island, and vulnerability.The President,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, who has lead responsibility for Agriculture within CARICOM, will be making the representation on behalf of the private sector in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).Speaking at a press conference yesterday, shortly after the conclusion of the Regional Agriculture Forum, Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud said that, to ensure that the indicative agreements reached and commitments made at the forum bear fruit, it was decided that monitoring, supporting and reporting processes and mechanisms be established.According to Persaud, this private/public sector mechanism should be an ongoing feature and should report at least bi-annually to the CARICOM Head responsible for Agriculture.He added that the mechanism might be referred to as the CARICOM Investment Enabling Mechanism.“The lead Head responsible for Agriculture on behalf of CARICOM will be requested to approach public and private sector stakeholders to participate in the ongoing CARICOM Investment Enabling Mechanism,China Jerseys Cheap,” Persaud said.The success of the forum, he said, suggests that it should be repeated at least every two years.“The forum can be pronounced a huge success, as it enabled and underlined a greater understanding and commitment of the private and public sectors to deliver on their different responsibilities, investments and infrastructures respectively,” the Minister added.It can also be deemed a success as it engaged the technical and financial partners, whose collaboration is critical to realizing the establishment of viable national and regional agri-business sectors.This, he said, will result in achieving food security,Cheap Jerseys Free, sustainable livelihoods, and rural development with all of the CARICOM countries.Persaud added that the forum created a greater understanding of the many and diverse opportunities for viable investment in the agricultural sector.It was an ‘eye-opening’ experience for many who were unfamiliar with opportunities in the sector, he said.“The range of presentations on alternative financing mechanisms enabled investors, small and large, to appreciate the potential sources for accessing resources for establishing and growing agricultural enterprises.”Speaking to the media yesterday,NFL Jerseys China Wholesale, Chairman of the Task Force which organised the conference, James Moss-Solomon, said that the contributions by participants have led him to believe that in the future it is not going to be solely the responsibility of governments within the Caribbean to make an investment in the sector.“…We in the agriculture sector are now in a position heading towards the realization that agriculture holds so much potential that we cannot ask the Government alone to bear the brunt of the burden.”Agriculture is a business for the private sector, he said, noting that it is a business to make profit.“That does not say that we do not have to change some of the ways we go about agriculture,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, but the changes in agriculture that have been discussed at the forum do not necessary disenfranchise the small farmer,Wholesale China Jerseys,”The changes in agriculture, Moss-Solomon said, have set the region on a path of recognizing the role of the small farmer.“It is our responsibility, now jointly in the agriculture sector along with the governments, to provide the ways, means and training by which the small farmer will become a big farmer.”This is a gradual process, he added, since it requires the application of science and technology to this industry for such a process.The Forum was held against the background of the rising cost of food on the one hand, and, on the other, the region’s efforts at addressing the decline in investment in agriculture, one of the key binding constraints in the Jagdeo Initiative.Some 150 participants from across the region and Latin America attended the conference.