Dr Cliff Riley, Director-General of the Hazardous Substances Regulatory Authority, is urging Jamaica and the wider Caribbean to rapidly increase food production, warning that heavy reliance on imports is leaving 32 to 45 per cent of the region's population food insecure.
Dr Riley says the situation has been made worse by the devastation of Jamaica's agricultural sector by Hurricane Melissa. He notes that Jamaica's food and consumer goods import bill totalled US$1.4 billion during the first eight months of this year.
Dr Riley, speaking on Real Business on Power 106 FM, Tuesday morning, stressed that investment in food storage facilities and planting materials is critical to strengthening food security.
He also urged both the Government and the private sector to make better use of existing research, warning that valuable studies should not be left unused on the shelves of the country's universities.
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