ST GEORGE’S – Conservative estimates have placed the annual loss resulting from praedial larceny to crop and livestock farmers in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) at US$385 million.
The CARICOM Council of Ministers for Trade and Agriculture endorsed a report, entitled Analysis Of The State Of Praedial Larceny In Member States Of CARICOM, during the Ninth Annual Caribbean Agriculture Week which concluded here on Friday.
The report said that in some countries the loss varied between 6 per cent and 18 per cent of annual agriculture output.
“Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago provide the highest estimates of annual loss with Jamaica’s share being US$50 million annually or 6 per cent of agriculture output and Trinidad and Tobago US$22.6 million annually,” said the document which also provided a number of recommendations to reduce the impact.
(CMC)