Caribbean Export is highlighting a potential US$1.5 billion opportunity for regional producers if the Caribbean achieves a target of reducing food imports by 25 per cent.
The issue of food security and investment in agriculture is being highlighted ahead of the Caribbean Investment Forum (CIF) 2026, which will be held in Barbados from October 5 to 7. The forum’s organisers say CIF is designed to connect investors with investment-ready Caribbean projects, with agribusiness and food security among its four priority investment sectors.
The Caribbean currently spends about US$6 billion annually on food imports, while climate change and increasingly severe weather events continue to expose regional food supply chains to disruption. Increasing local and regional production could both strengthen food security and create opportunities for private-sector investment, according to Caribbean Export.
It says CARICOM’s mandate to slash regional food imports by 25 per cent unlocks an immediate $1.5 billion revenue window for local producers, but that will require capital, partnerships and stronger connections between viable regional projects and investors, which the upcoming CIF 2026 intends to facilitate.
Dr Damie Sinanan, Executive Director of Caribbean Export, said a regional approach is necessary to attract investment at the scale required.
‘Building long-term resilience means moving past the limits of our individual domestic markets,’ he said. ‘By uniting as a single Caribbean, we create the critical mass and market size required to pull in transformational global capital.’
The organisation points to developments in Barbados and Guyana as examples of efforts to increase regional food production.
In Barbados, a commercial-scale indoor vertical farming operation uses controlled-environment technology to produce crops in a setting designed to reduce exposure to severe weather and water shortages.
Guyana, meanwhile, is pursuing expanded livestock production, including the use of reproductive technologies such as artificial insemination and embryo transfer to improve sheep production.
Caribbean Export says such projects demonstrate the potential for technology and investment to increase food production across the region.
CIF 2026 is expected to bring together investors, policymakers, entrepreneurs, project developers, financial institutions and other partners, with opportunities for investment project presentations, sector discussions and targeted meetings.