The development and spread of the Wuhan coronavirus is of international concern with the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring the virus a global health emergency on Thursday. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago, after its deliberations, also announced travel restrictions effective almost immediately on visitors or citizens arriving in the country within 14 days of having departed China.
The decision by the WHO has prompted governments worldwide to upgrade their own response to the virus. However, the post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday afternoon focused on health and immigration aspects of the discourse; it was silent in addressing national food and nutrition security. While the Minister of Health assures that we have sufficient medical equipment and supplies to deal with the issue locally, Chinese colleagues on the ground in China are saying that there is an urgent need for them to actually import N95 protective masks, medical protective clothing, disposable medical protective masks, goggles and other materials.
For import-dependent countries like Trinidad and Tobago, international crises especially associated with our major trade partners can have deep repercussions on our local economy and people whose livelihoods are undoubtedly interconnected.
Over the last five years (2014-2018), where ITC data is available, China exported almost US$360 billion in food and agriculture products to the world; food and agriculture product exports represented an annual average of 3.14 per cent of total Chinese exports. Of all China’s exports to Caricom, food and agriculture products constitute an annual average of 3.21 per cent for the same period or US$88 million. Overall, food and agriculture products represent an annual average of 18.63 per cent of total Caricom imports or US$5.33 billion.
For Trinidad and Tobago (2014-2018), food and agriculture products represented an annual average of 4.09 per cent of total Chinese exports to this country, worth almost US$17 million. Total Chinese exports to Trinidad and Tobago were estimated to be approximately US$348 million in 2018. Trinidad and Tobago’s (2014-2018) total imports averaged US$7.65 billion. Food and agriculture products imported are estimated to be US$959 million annually or 13.2 per cent of total imports.
More than 20 countries and territories outside of mainland China have confirmed cases of the virus spanning Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East, as the United Kingdom reported its first two cases on Friday.
As Wuhan and much of Hubei Province remains on lockdown, public transportation has been halted with many factories and businesses temporarily closed. While this happens in mainland China, internationally operated and connecting air and sea freight services have been suspended.
Undoubtedly, the integrity of Chinese food and agriculture exports may soon be called into question globally and brought under sanitary and phytosanitary scrutiny. The possibility of a long quarantine should be of major concern for trade partners, not only for direct business with China but with those countries, ports, and freight which are connected via the global trade ecosystem. The developing world also relies heavily on Chinese technology and human capacity building in their efforts relating to food production and processing.
It puts Trinidad and Tobago, and other Caricom members — more than 18 million people, in an awkward and exposed position in those dynamics. It re-emphasises my continuous suggestion that we need to have a serious rethink of development policy and planning in agriculture; a sector that has suffered from a history of underinvestment and failed policy.
In order to systematically reduce our reliance on foreign food products and bolster our own capacity, there must be a fundamental shift in the sector’s priority, raising it on the national development agenda which is to be supported by an overarching national policy framework for sustainable agriculture and rural development.
Omardath Maharaj
Carapichaima
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