Antigua and Barbuda is moving to import fruits, vegetables, and other food items from Guyana in a bid to reduce supermarket prices and strengthen regional food security.
Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said during Thursday’s post-Cabinet press briefing that the initiative follows discussions between Prime Minister Gaston Browne and Guyanese President Irfaan Ali on the sidelines of the COP30 meeting in Belize.
He explained that the Cabinet has mandated Minister of Agriculture Anthony Smith Jr. to coordinate with his counterpart in Georgetown to begin sourcing agricultural products for the Antiguan market.
“The aim is to secure cheaper fruits and vegetables and other food items at a cheaper rate,” Merchant said, noting that nearly 90 percent of Antigua and Barbuda’s imported foods currently come from North America. “The Prime Minister wants Antigua and Barbuda to capitalize on the cheap fruits and vegetables and other food items of the same high quality as those imported from North America.”
Merchant said the move is expected to help maintain low food prices once the suspension of the Common External Tariff (CET) on essential items ends. He added that the initiative aligns with the government’s broader cost-of-living plan and will ensure that local consumers continue to benefit from affordable imports.
Cabinet officials anticipate that once logistics and trade arrangements are finalized, the first shipments from Guyana could help ease prices on supermarket shelves in early 2026.
The partnership is also seen as a step toward achieving CARICOM’s 25 by 2025 goal — a regional target to cut food import bills by 25 percent — and to build closer agricultural ties within the Caribbean Community.
