India offers to help CARICOM on crime, maritime transportation, sargassum

Last Updated on Wednesday, 20 November 2024, 21:04 by Writer

India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on Wednesday offered the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to fight transnational crime, supply ferry vessels and convert the troublesome sargassum seaweed into fertiliser.

Addressing the opening of the 2nd India-CARICOM summit in Georgetown, Mr Modi proposed that India partner with the region in the implementation of its recently-launched maritime security strategy to fight drug trafficking, piracy, illegal fishing and human trafficking. “India will be happy to enhance cooperation with you in all of these areas,” he said.

In the area of transportation, the Indian Prime Minister said that “in order to enhance connectivity we supply passenger and cargo vessels.” At the commissioning of the US$12.7 million MV Ma Lisha cargo and passenger vessel to serve the North West District, President Irfaan Ali had said that the region would look to India to solve the regional transportation problem which is one of several constraints to the reduction of the region’s US$4 billion food import bill.

Noting that the sargassum (seaweed) “is a very big problem” in the Caribbean that is affecting the hotel and tourism sector, he said India could assist the region to use sargassum in the agriculture sector. “In India, we have developed the technology to develop fertiliser using this seaweed. This technology can not only help you to solve this problem but can also increase crop yield,” Mr Modi said.

Caribbean fisherfolk continue to complain that sargassum seaweed is a major humbug for their industry which employs thousands of people across the region.