Rising food prices pose threat

Citing dwindling stocks and only small production increases for the majority of crops, a new United Nations report released yesterday said world food prices are likely to remain high for the rest of this year and into 2012.

The biannual Food Outlook published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that the next few months will be critical in determining how the major crops will fare this year.

“The general situation for agricultural crops and food commodities is tight with world prices at stubbornly high levels, posing a threat to many low-income food deficit countries,” according to David Hallam, Director of FAO’s Markets and Trade Division.

Caribbean health agency close to establishment

A planned regional public health agency appears on the verge of being legally established with five Caribbean countries signing the necessary documentation and others promising to follow suit soon.

St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada and St. Lucia have inked the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) on the establishment of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

Other countries have pledged to join them in time for the 32nd Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government set for June 30 – July 4 in St. Kitts.

Relationship Between Jamaica And The Diaspora To Be Improved

Professor NEVILLE Ying, executive director of the Jamaica Diaspora Institute, will outline initiatives being pursued to develop the relationship between Jamaica and its diaspora when he addresses the biennial Jamaican Diaspora Convention to be held June 15 to 17.

Ying said his presentation will highlight some of the contributions members of the diaspora have been making to Jamaica. These contributions have been in the areas of remittances; education, especially the support of alumni groups to education institutions; support for health care, particularly free health-care services for rural communities; and financial investments and tourism.

Regional Tourism Officials Discuss Repositioning Of Cruise Ships

A delegation from the Caribbean Tourism Organi-zation (CTO) has held talks with officials from the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) on the repositioning of cruise ships from the region.

A statement issued by the Barbados-based CTO, said that the delegation, headed by its chairman and St Kitts and Nevis Tourism Minister, Ricky Skerritt, said the talks centred on tackling "the issue of the mass repositioning of cruise ships from the southern Caribbean in the summer months and to improve the overall competitiveness of the Caribbean for summer cruising".

The CTO has expressed concern over the continued massive loss of cruise business, particularly from the southern and eastern Caribbean, due to the seasonal repositioning of vessels from the Caribbean to other ports.