US to Boost CARICOM Productivity with $5.5million EU to Assist Region in War Against Drugs

USAID. Today I’m pleased to announce that we’ll dedicate an additional nearly 5.5 million to help small farmers in the Caribbean boost productivity, increase access to technology and markets, and adopt climate smart practices.” fighting the illicit drug trade.

Blinken noted that the US is lending its expertise from across the entire Government to help achieve that goal; that is, from the Department of Agriculture to the Environmental Protection Agency to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The US representative also spoke on a number of other initiatives the United States is planning to assist the region, including crime, climate change and, of course, Haiti.

In a statement last week, at the meeting of the National Steering Committee for the Seaport Corporation Project (SEACOP)

Phase Five, Hinds shared – “The project’s activities include the creation of inter-agency units in key ports, as well as the establishment of national maritime information systems to promote information sharing.”

Through SEACOP, an initiative that was established in 2010. One dimension of it is the wider European Commission-funded Cocaine Route Programme (CRP). SEACOP seeks to build capacities and strengthen co-operation against maritime trafficking in countries on the transAtlantic cocaine route (West Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean).

Head of delegation of the EU to TT Peter Cavendish, doubled down on the EU’s commitment saying, that they stood ready to deepen security co-operation in the Caribbean. Cavendish was thanked for his continued support to initiatives aimed at combating transnational crime, in particular the transshipment of illicit narcotics by Hinds during the meeting.