Trinidad's Minister of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources Hon Jarrette Narine will be the feature speaker at a CARDI/CTA seminar entitled: “The Impact of Trade Agreements on the Agricultural Sector in the Region.”

The seminar will take place 8 – 10 November, 2005 at the Courtyard by Marriott, Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago.

Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) scientists and technicians from across the region will travel to Port of Spain to discuss issues of critical importance in relation to the repositioning and development of the agriculture sector to adjust rapidly in order to achieve agricultural competitiveness and viability, food and nutrition security and environmental integrity amid the challenges of a changing global economic environment.

It is within this context, CARDI will discuss the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), ACP-EU arrangements, FTAA, WTO and other trade agreements and their implications of Agricultural Research and Developments.

This is imperative since research activities would assist and contribute to the repositioning of the agriculture sector whereby Member States in the Caribbean region would be better equipped with the relevant cutting-edge technologies to realise competitiveness at the national, regional and international levels. Beneficiaries will include Farmers, Agro-Processors, Agri-Entrepreneurs, Investors, Credit providers, Policymakers and other stakeholders.

CARDI is the lead agency for Research and Development in the agriculture sector for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The Institute is responsible under the CARICOM Regional Transformation Programme (RTP) for Technology Generation, Validation and Transfer, Market Development and Integrated Production and Market Programmes.

Funding for the seminar is facilitated through the Regional Branch Office of the Caribbean for the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation ACP-EU that is located at CARDI’s Headquarters in Trinidad and Tobago.