Red Diamond Compost Inc. founder and CEO Joshua Forte attended the inaugural CARICOM Agri-Investment Forum & Expo in Guyana as part of a delegation from Export Barbados (BIDC) from May 19-21, 2022. The three-day event is one initiative with efforts to achieve a 25% reduction in the extra-regional agri-food import bill by 2025. This is by encouraging the CARICOM Member States to pursue accelerated and targeted investment in food production and the agricultural business ecosystem. The initiative addresses cross-cutting issues which include barriers to trade, market facilitation and transportation, among others, which are necessary to create a positive investment environment in the region. 

With the hopes that the private sector will also come to the table to achieve Vision 25 by 2025, the Barbados delegation represented the mission to both increase exports and investments. Over 250 businesses from across the region were on display at the expo showcasing their products and services. Red Diamond was one such company to stand out as our CEO engaged the CARICOM heads of state, and members of their delegation, which included:

• Her Excellency Mia Amor Motley, Prime Minister of Barbados,
  
• His Excellency Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana,
  
• His Excellency Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda,
  
• His Excellency Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
  
  

"We are immensely grateful to Export Barbados for the opportunity to participate in this forum and expo to expand our network and pursue potential export partners in Guyana and across the region. I would say that Red Diamond has been well received and evenmore encouraged to expand to Guyana by our Guyanese borthers and sisters. The demand for organic solutions is young but quickly growing and the existing base is eager to have greater accessibility to high quality solutions." - Joshua Forte CEO, Red Diamond Compost Inc.

 

Red Diamond is mission to improve food and nutrition security is an investment in our future and aligns with Vision 25, which will soon become a reality. The Caribbean is rich with bioresources that need only to be managed through sustainable and regenerative best practices to transform the volume and quality of our foods supply within the region. In light of the global fuel crisis, supply chain issues and the gloabal fertilizer shortage which contributed to price increases, the path toward Vision 25 is more relevant than ever.