Caribbean partners identify priority actions to strengthen maritime logistics for regional agrifood trade

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and regional partners highlighted five priority actions to strengthen maritime logistics for regional agrifood trade during the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA 2026), held at Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny, Jamaica.

The session, “Strengthening Maritime Logistics for Food Security and Agricultural Trade in the Caribbean” examined transport, infrastructure, market and regulatory constraints affecting the movement of agrifood products across the region and considered practical measures to improve the reliability, efficiency and sustainability of regional trade.

It brought together representatives of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF), the European Union (EU), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

From bottlenecks to practical solutions

FAO was represented on the panel by Ekaterina Krivonos, Chief, Latin America and the Caribbean, Investment Centre, who illustrated the friction affecting intraregional trade. She noted that a container of sweet potatoes moving from Barbados through Trinidad and Tobago to Guyana can take five to seven days in transit, while customs clearance alone can take up to 10 or 11 days.

“The region has shipping options”, she said. “They can surely be improved, but also there is too little dependable cargo and too much friction moving that cargo across borders”.

Panelists also highlighted coordination failures along supply chains, insufficient cold storage and challenges affecting the smaller vessels that carry trade between islands, including aging fleets and limited refrigeration.

The discussion emphasized that improving maritime logistics requires more than additional shipping capacity. Better communication and coordination among governments, producers, traders, shipping operators, ports, regional institutions and development partners are essential to align production with market demand, transport services and investment decisions.

Five priority actions for maritime logistics: Turning priorities into implementation

Participants stressed the need to move beyond repeated studies towards coordinated investment and implementation. This translated into five key actions to improve maritime logistics:

1. Aggregate and consolidate production and cargo volumes. Public and private initiatives should help create sufficient scale and predictable demand to sustain viable shipping services. This includes stronger national and regional mechanisms, market information systems and digital platforms to consolidate smaller shipments, supported by production forecasts, market and logistics information, consistent quality standards and stronger buyer–supplier arrangements.
2. Invest strategically in maritime and cold-chain infrastructure and logistics. Priority areas include fit-for-purpose vessels, port improvements, warehouses, refrigerated storage and other cold-chain facilities, with investments aligned to actual and projected trade volumes and guided by market needs.
3. Digitize and streamline trade, customs and sanitary and phytosanitary procedures. Electronic SPS certification and more efficient customs and port processes can help reduce clearance times and administrative bottlenecks, particularly for fresh and perishable products.
4. Develop flexible regional shipping models. Rather than pursuing a single model, the region can combine larger commercial shipping and feeder services with smaller vessels and ferry-type services for lower-volume routes, while improving frequency, reliability, accessibility, connectivity and sustainability among Caribbean markets.
5. Move from studies to coordinated investment and implementation. A regional maritime logistics and transport investment framework could identify and prioritize investment-ready projects, combining public and development financing with greater private-sector participation. Stronger communication and coordination among governments, regional institutions, producers, traders, shipping operators, ports and development partners will also be important to better align production, trade, transport services and investment decisions. Investments should strengthen resilience through appropriate vessel capacity, efficient port operations and contingency arrangements capable of maintaining food flows during disruptions and emergencies.
   

FAO reaffirmed its commitment to working with governments, regional institutions and development partners to support practical solutions that strengthen maritime connectivity, facilitate regional agrifood trade and contribute to food security in the Caribbean.