CHAGUANAS West MP Dinesh Rambally is seeking to widen the pool of farmers contributing to the Government’s covid19 food relief programme to include those from his constituency who can supply fruit and vegetables.

Rambally toured the Woodford Lodge Wholesale Market in Chaguanas on Thursday, on the invitation of Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat. Namdevco is using the market to assemble the food boxes/hampers.

A press release said Rambally is looking forward to Rambharat's providing further valuable information on all aspects of the programme, particularly on farmers from the central region who contribute to the initiative, which, since it began last month, has provided roughly 25,000 hampers.

[caption id="attachment_894525" align="alignnone" width="1007"] HOW IT'S PACKED: Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat, 3rd from left, shows Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally, left, bags of ochroes during a tour on Thursday of the Woodford Lodge wholesale market in Chaguanas which houses fresh local produce used in the Government's covid19 food basket relief programme. PHOTO COURTESY DINESH RAMBALLY - ][/caption]

In terms of the relief packages to be distributed, Rambally has been identifying those in his constituency who have been negatively affected by the pandemic.

He is hoping to explore opportunities identified by the agriculture minister for farmers in Chaguanas West to ramp up their production of fruit and vegetables for the hampers.

Among the items identified are sweet potatoes, dasheen, cassava, plantain, squash, pineapple, citrus, paw paw, cucumbers, bodi, sweet peppers, hot peppers, tomatoes, ochroes, melongene, dasheen leaves and pimento peppers. Also included are locally processed chickens and eggs.

[caption id="attachment_894524" align="alignnone" width="1021"] FRUITFUL TALKS: Minister of Agriculture Clarence Rambharat, left, with Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally during a tour on Thursday of the Woodford Lodge wholesale market in Chaguanas which houses fresh local produce used in the Government's covid19 food basket relief programme. PHOTO COURTESY DINESH RAMBALLY -[/caption]

Following the tour on Thursday, Rambally said he will soon meet with farmers in his constituency in such breadbasket districts as Bejucal, Monroe Road and Felicity to see how they can contribute.

He said it was important that the market provided by Namdevco is kept open for local farmers and said he will do all he can to bring some of the benefits to his constituency.

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