THE EDITOR: It seems the Ministry of Agriculture and by extension the Government has finally come to realise that farming, is the major sector to help us rein in a bloated food import bill and guarantee food security.
According to an Expression of Interest (EOI) put out by the ministry, two areas are being looked at - the development of a plant propagation facility in Chaguaramas and utilisation of lands at La Gloria Estate in Tableland for agricultural projects.
It is important that Government lease good arable lands to people in interested in crop production and livestock rearing, if they are really serious about boosting this sector.
Clearly, Government alone cannot be expected to move this most important sector forward. Help is needed, in fact required, from the private sector.
At the same time, the ministry needs to know that just removing taxes from importation of farming equipment is not sufficient to encourage farmers and assist them in making lands productive. Land preparation, technical advice in the fields of soil type, fertilisers, pest and disease control, drainage, storing produce, access roads, irrigation and security of land tenure are but a few important areas to be addressed.
Time for the old talk to end. Farmers are fed-up with the political rhetoric and empty promises given to the agriculture industry, especially when the rhetoric is meant to fool the public.
By addressing these issues, it is certain that agriculture will contribute more than the one per cent of TT's gross domestic product and definitely reduce our food import bill which stands at over $1 billion annually.
It's no longer a case of, "we have the money so we can import." Prices are rising sharply, food is getting scarcer everyday especially with the onset of climate change, and countries are cutting back on selling abroad with a view to keeping food for their own people. The issue of food security must be given greater consideration.
WKS HOSEIN
CHAGUANAS
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