The CARICOM Private Sector Organization (CPSO) congratulates Caribbean Chemicals and Agencies Ltd, (CC), a leading regional supplier and producer of agricultural inputs, on the success of its proposal in the Sargassum Innovation Quest: Building Resilient Coastal Ecosystems, an initiative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and its innovation arm, IDB Lab, in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Image courtesy Ms Carina Cockburn, IDB Country Representative, Barbados.
The submission by CC was the culmination of its active collaboration with Plant & Food Research, Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and the CARICOM Private Sector Organization (CPSO) with the Concept Note and the Pitch Deck prepared by Business Systems Expert, Mr. Dale Chesney.
The collaboration included successful preparation, from Sargassum, of a bio stimulant liquid that did not increase plant or soil levels of arsenic and other heavy metals, the design of a pilot plant to manufacture same and its testing for use as a bio stimulant under experimental and farmer conditions for a wider range of crops and conditions.
The Sargassum Innovation Quest was launched in 2024 to identify and support solutions that leverage advanced technologies and innovative practices to harness the potential of Sargassum biomass and enhance the resilience of coastal communities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The CC submission was one of 72 from 13 countries across the Region. It was also one of five initiatives which were announced on January 14th, 2025 by IDB and IDB Lab as being preselected. The five initiatives all aim to harness the potential of Sargassum as a resource for various industries. The other named beneficiaries are Waste Recycling Environment Network (Belize), C-combinator (Mexico), SOS Carbon (Dominican Republic) and Origin by Ocean (Dominican Republic).
As a part of the next steps in the process, CC is scheduled to undergo a due diligence process. Upon successful completion, they will proceed to design their projects and become candidates to receive funding from IDB Lab and USAID to develop their innovative models. All organisations will also join the IDB’s global innovators network to address the sargassum management needs and the conservation of coastal-marine ecosystems across Latin America and the Caribbean.
CEO and Technical Director of the CPSO, Dr. Patrick Antoine, in extending congratulations to CC, noted that its success in the Sargassum Innovation Quest is a clear demonstration of the Region’s ability to leverage cutting-edge solutions to turn environmental challenges into sustainable opportunities. He also underscored the CPSO’s commitment to fostering impactful collaborations between public and private sector stakeholders that drive innovation to address critical agricultural and environmental challenges for CARICOM Member States.
Mr. Joe Pires Jnr, Chairman and CEO of CC has recognised the role of CPSO in effectively bringing the private sector and the development agencies (CRFM, Plant & Food Research, with support from CARDI and UWI) together in partnership that will substantially contribute to the success of the CARICOM Heads of Government Mandate of 25×2025 – food import reduction Initiative.