Policy Development Plan 2017-2021.

This Policy Development Plan 2017-2021 is a national multi-sectoral document. The integral plan lays down the broad outlines of development priorities of Suriname. It is based on the four pillars:strengthening development capacity, economic growth and diversification, social progress and utilization and protection of the environment.
The Plan supports to help eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. The development growth of the agrarian and agro-industrial sector will per cluster mainly focus on a number of main products with favourable potential for import replacement and export growth. The strategic long-term goal for the existing production clusters is: Research, application of technology and services by efficient (knowledge) institutes, competitive micro-, small, medium-sized and large companies in the agrarian sector and the agro-industry guarantee food safety and security of the Surinamese population, export to regional and international markets ad employment in various subsectors. Considering that plant-genetic resources for food and agriculture constitute the biological basis for food security, a National Institute Plant Genetic Resources will be established in the planning period, for the preservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.
In this planning period, the institutional framework for formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of a national poverty alleviation strategy will be developed. The national strategy for the social protection system, which is based on a minimum subsistence for everyone, giving all citizens access to jobs and essential goods and services such as food, (drinking) water, sanitation, health, education, etc. will be implemented.
The Plan promotes to make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable. One of priorities for agriculture technological innovation will be: promoting environmentally-friendly production systems with emphasis on conservation and sustainability. The strategic goal for the forestry sector has been identified as: The compensation for the conservation of Suriname's pristine tropical forest which is necessary for a better world environment, contributes to the national growth and development as well as the income of village communities, competitive small, medium-sized and large companies that increase and diversify the national production and export through forestry and wood processing. One of the outcomes is: The compensation for the preservation of Suriname’s pristine tropical forest is part of the international climate change action program, including REDD+ and contributes to the national growth and development by means of a program-based approach of the conservation and where necessary restoration of the Suriname rain forest.
The Plan seeks to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems. The agricultural development will take place according to a two-track policy. Both the population and the medium- and large-scale agriculture will receive the necessary attention with a view to enhancing the resilience of the agriculture sector. The policy will aim at as far as possible delegating the responsibility of the various components of the production cycle to the stakeholders, including the individual family businesses, self-employed workers, collaborating groups or co-operatives, women's organizations and organized young people. The measures will be taken for storage, processing and preservation of products derived from the population agriculture. Industrial centres with small processing units will be set up for surpluses. The processing will take place for the benefit of the exports to the neighbouring countries and the region. In addition, strategic food, beverages sector policy will aim at the strengthened production and export capacity and providing a bigger and sustainable contribution to the national economy; strategic fisheries sector policy will aim at competitive and sustainable fish companies, active in aquaculture, freshwater fishing, coastal fishing or deep-sea fishing and fish-processing companies, guarantee the food safety and security of the Surinamese people, exports to regional and international markets, provide employment in several subsectors and prevent exhaustion of fish stocks by making use of research, application of technology and services by efficient (knowledge) institutes.
In order to increase the resilience of livelihoods to natural disasters and climate change, Suriname will develop a "disaster-risk reduction strategy" for the specific planning regions.