Caribbean Agriculture: Food Security, Trade and Production Data
Data from named sources on food imports, GDP contribution, trade flows, and CARICOM's food security targets across the Caribbean.
US$13.76B
CARICOM food import bill, 2018-2020, approximately 5% of GDP
CARICOM Secretariat, 2022
3-5%
Mean contribution of agriculture and fisheries to GDP across CARICOM countries
Commonwealth Secretariat / IICA, 2024
60%+
Share of food consumed that is imported; some markets exceed 80%
CARICOM Secretariat, 2022
Caribbean agriculture is not reported as a single market size. What the named sources publish is the sector's contribution to national economies, the regional food import bill, and country-level trade flows. Those are the figures that follow.
Agriculture and fisheries contribute a mean of 3 to 5 per cent of GDP across CARICOM countries, though the range is wide: Belize, Guyana and Haiti see a substantially larger contribution, while services-driven and oil and gas economies see less (Commonwealth Secretariat and IICA, 2024). In Jamaica, agriculture, forestry and fishing accounted for 7.97 per cent of GDP in 2024 (World Bank, 2026).
The defining number for the region is not what it produces but what it buys. Over the period 2018 to 2020 the CARICOM food import bill stood at US$13.76 billion, roughly 5 per cent of regional GDP, and the region imports more than 60 per cent of the food it eats, with some countries importing more than 80 per cent (CARICOM Secretariat, 2022). That dependency is the reason CARICOM Heads of Government committed to cutting the food import bill by 25 per cent, a target originally set for 2025 and extended to 2030 in February 2025 following Hurricane Beryl and global price pressure (CARICOM, 2025).
What the Sources Publish
Named, checkable figures from public sources. These figures are not additive — scope varies by publisher.
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CARICOM food import bill, 2018-2020 | US$13.76B, approximately 5% of GDP | CARICOM Secretariat, 2022 |
| Food import dependency | More than 60% of food consumed; some markets exceed 80% | CARICOM Secretariat, 2022 |
| Agriculture and fisheries share of GDP, CARICOM mean | 3-5% | Commonwealth Secretariat / IICA, 2024 |
| Jamaica agriculture, forestry and fishing share of GDP, 2024 | 7.97% | World Bank, 2026 |
| Central America and Caribbean raw food and fibre production, 2017 | 170.4 million tonnes, US$21.65B at farm gate | FAO, 2019 |
| Regional food production increase, 2022 to late 2024 | Approximately 24% | CARICOM, 2025 |
| CRFM member states fish and seafood exports | Approximately US$295M against US$387M imports | CRFM, 2024 |
| US consumer-oriented agricultural exports to the Caribbean Basin, 2024 | US$1.64B, up 6.5% from US$1.54B in 2023 | USDA FAS, 2025 |
| US share of Caribbean Basin imported consumer-oriented food and beverage | 50% | USDA FAS, 2025 |
Scope varies by source. CARICOM figures cover its 15 member states. USDA FAS “Caribbean Basin” covers 25 markets and excludes Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Puerto Rico. FAO's Central America and Caribbean grouping includes mainland Central America. These figures are not additive.
Vision 25 x 2025+5
CARICOM's flagship food security initiative, correctly stated.
CARICOM Heads of Government committed in March 2022 to reducing the region's food import bill by 25%
(CARICOM Secretariat, 2022)
The target was originally 2025. At the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government it was extended to 2030 and is now formally referred to as Vision 25 x 2025+5
(CARICOM, 2025)
Reasons cited for the extension: climate impacts including Hurricane Beryl, geopolitical tension, and significant global price increases for cattle, meat, dairy, vegetable oil and raw sugar
(CARICOM, 2025)
Progress reported: approximately 24% increase in food production across the region from 2022 to late 2024, with investment in cold storage, farm-to-market roads, solar drying facilities and dairy facilities
(CARICOM, 2025)
Priority commodities under the Agri-Food Systems Strategy: poultry, corn, soya, meat (goat, sheep, beef), rice and niche vegetables
(CARICOM Secretariat)
Fisheries sub-target: reduce imports by at least US$78 million, bringing them to US$235 million
(CRFM, 2024)
IPES-Food has cited CARICOM's initiative as an example of cooperative approaches to building resilient self-reliance
(CARICOM, 2026)
Country Agricultural Profile
Agriculture's contribution to GDP, where a World Bank figure is available.
🇯🇲 Jamaica
Agriculture, forestry and fishing as % of GDP: 7.97%
World Bank, 2026 (2024 data)
Key products: sugar, coffee, allspice, yams
Other rows (Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti) removed pending retrieval of a World Bank figure for each. Figures on the previous page were unsourced.
The Data Gap
Caribbean agricultural statistics are known to be incomplete. In June 2024 the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Government of Barbados, IICA and CARICOM convened a regional dialogue in Barbados specifically to establish National Agricultural Data Infrastructure across Caribbean countries, on the basis that the institutions engaged in agricultural data management need an enabling environment to design and implement it (Commonwealth Secretariat, 2024). Country-level production and price data across the region is not consistently published.
Where data is not published, it has to be collected. HRG conducts agricultural producer surveys, retail and wholesale price audits, and distribution research across Caribbean markets.
Frequently Asked Questions
How large is the Caribbean agriculture market?
No source publishes a single Caribbean agriculture market size. What is published is the sector's share of national economies: agriculture and fisheries contribute a mean of 3 to 5 per cent of GDP across CARICOM countries, with Belize, Guyana and Haiti substantially higher (Commonwealth Secretariat and IICA, 2024). In Jamaica the figure was 7.97 per cent in 2024 (World Bank, 2026). FAO valued Central America and Caribbean raw food and fibre production at US$21.65 billion at the farm gate in 2017, though that grouping includes mainland Central America (FAO, 2019).
How much food does the Caribbean import?
The CARICOM food import bill was US$13.76 billion over 2018 to 2020, approximately 5 per cent of regional GDP. The region imports more than 60 per cent of the food it consumes, and some countries import more than 80 per cent (CARICOM Secretariat, 2022). The United States supplies 50 per cent of the Caribbean Basin's imported consumer-oriented food and beverage products, worth US$1.64 billion in 2024 (USDA FAS, 2025).
What is CARICOM's Vision 25 x 2025+5?
A commitment by CARICOM Heads of Government to reduce the region's food import bill by 25 per cent. The target was originally 2025 and was extended to 2030 in February 2025, citing climate impacts including Hurricane Beryl and global price increases. CARICOM reports approximately a 24 per cent increase in regional food production between 2022 and late 2024 (CARICOM, 2025).
Why is Caribbean agricultural data hard to obtain?
Country-level production and price data is not consistently published. In June 2024 the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Government of Barbados, IICA and CARICOM convened a regional dialogue to establish National Agricultural Data Infrastructure across the region (Commonwealth Secretariat, 2024). Where published data does not exist, it has to be collected directly.
Sources
- CARICOM Secretariat, Vision 25 by 2025 / Vision 25 x 2025+5, and statements of the Secretary-General (2022; 2025)
- Commonwealth Secretariat with IICA and CARICOM, National Agricultural Data Infrastructure: Caribbean, Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda Policy Brief (November 2024)
- Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), Ministerial Council (2024)
- FAO, agricultural production data for Central America and the Caribbean (2019)
- World Bank, agriculture share of GDP value added, Jamaica (2026)
- USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Retail Foods Annual, Caribbean Basin (2025)
- Caribbean Development Bank, Study on the State of Agriculture in the Caribbean
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