VISHANNA PHAGOO
Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales and technocrats from Caricom countries underscored the importance of agriculture, and what they expect of people in the region to in its efforts to achieve food security.
Gonzales said his ministry was essential to Trinidad and Tobago's economic development as it provides water and electricity. He was speaking at the Agri-Investment Forum and Expo at Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, on Friday, where the expo takes place until 10 pm on Sunday.
"So what we are seeing here..., the vast display, the great innovation and thrust of development in our agricultural sector cannot be done if the Ministry of Public Utilities doesn't have the policy of the government where public utilities are concerned. It cannot happen because we have to ensure we have sufficient water to irrigate our crops, we have to ensure that power is put on our farms."
He said there are many farmers in TT, and possibly the entire region, who operate outside the electricity grid. Gonzales said the ministry plans to place solar panels at farms so they have access to power.
"Even though they are not integrated into the electricity world, they can now have access to solar power to power their farms."
In addition to solar panels, Gonzales said the ministry will use its modular water treatment plants to boost the water supply.
[caption id="attachment_970764" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Ariaponics manager Alex Jones shows the lettuce grown using his hydroponics system at the Agri-Invesment Forum and Expo, Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain on Friday. - VISHANNA PHAGOO[/caption]
"There are many ground and surface water that we have not harvested, and a number of rural communities do not have access to water, and with the use of modular water treatment plants we are going to bring to TT, we are going to target the rural communities because they have access to rivers and water wells. So, we are going to get the water treated by those plants because they can be easily and strategically placed around the communities."
He said this will provide water in homes and farms that will result in more locally-sourced foods.
He said those interested in getting power supply can apply to the ministry's electrification and solar electrification programmes. The cost is between $50,000 and $60,000 to provide power to their homes or farms.
Meanwhile, at the National Academy for the Performing Arts, Caricom technocrats discussed the need to promote healthy eating, the benefits of incorporating technology into agriculture, financing for small and medium farms and how to boost trade and investments in the region.
Shaun Baugh, programme manager of agricultural and agro-industrial development of Guyana, said there are many ongoing projects, some of which include de-risking of the regional agriculture sector, regional insurance, looking at alternative sources of financing and the removal of tariff barriers.
Also speaki
