THE agriculture industry has been one of the leading sectors in Trinidad and Tobago since the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March 2020.
Government ha stepped up to distribute fresh produce to persons most in need while encouraging the consumption of locally grown fruits, vegetables and livestock.
It has been noted that the country would not be able to produce all the food it needs for the population although this can be argued by some.
As government and private citizens seek to enhance this sector, agriculturalist Omardath Maharaj has offered his suggestions and thoughts on the way forward for 2022.
Following is his statement shared with AZPNews.com:
The farming demographic has been changing in the past year. As the pandemic prolongs, fresh capital including finance and technology have been invested and people have shown interest in food production. Commercially, this is in the form of farmers expanding operations to satisfy gaps created by diminishing imported volume and variety as well as rising food prices generally.
There is also notable diversified operations, for example, construction contractors utilising equipment and machinery for alternative revenue generation and the continued exploration and adoption of technology in agriculture.
There has also been a surge of interest in household food production and individual action.
People have taken it upon themselves to maintain a sense of urgency and crisis about food security in this country without the vision and leadership at a national level in shaping that national conversation and call to action.
People on the ground appear unduly comforted by full supermarket shelves and uninformed of the significant pressure on our foreign exchange reserves to maintain a consumption lifestyle.
It also requires significant foreign exchange expenditure to propel domestic agriculture through the importation of machinery and equipment, agro-chemicals, seeds for sowing and other livestock-related inputs such as grains and feeds or even broodstock and chicks – all managed to keep the local economy alive and population fed.
The advanced agricultural incentive programme has also created motivation for many with a production interest. Its public relations speak to youth funding, particularly, and as always there remains a need for transparency and accountability about its impact going forward.
Food prices, paid by the average citizens, have been on the price although taxpayers money support transfers and subsidies.
We, therefore, need to look at building the resilience of our families and communities; strengthening their adaptive capacity, reducing their vulnerability and increasing their opportunities, especially in entrepreneurship.
2021 major challenges
For me, managing this country’s food supply is not an easy task, so too, leaving the production of food solely to be determined by market forces and farmers’ private investment horizon is untenable, as has arguably been the case.
More dangerous is underestimating or miscalculating the dangers and risks associated with surges and collapse of supply.
Regardless of political assurances and efforts, a challenge for food security is that in the circumstances, traditional food and agriculture input exporting countries (our import sources) may revisit their export strategies and internal policies towards either building reserves and distribution confidence or diverting trade to larger, more profitable markets in order to maintain the food and nutrition security of their populations.
The rising quantum of Covid relief peddled by the government, a number of State-sponsored food hampers, food cards with increasing dollar value and the tidal wave of civil society food support circulating in this country suggests that food insecurity across the population is rising. However, it requires that these administrators therefore engage and educate on this threat and work towards contingency planning rather than behaving as if the current social safety net measures are sustainable.
Becoming more economically viable in 2022
I look forward to the New Year with optimism especially to continue my support of the work of home gardeners, farmers and fishers through our Yard Market initiative. The continued advocacy for inclusive agriculture and rural development also requires strategic partners and assets such as the Faculty of Food and Agriculture (UWI), and other technical advisory, planning and development resources such as FAO, IICA, CARDI and other think-tanks.
The University Field Station and other government-run farms and stations must be guarded and invested in, heavily, to secure best practice, planting material, germplasm, productive livestock breeds, our ability to engage and influence the pattern of food produced locally and in the region but more so, to safeguard our food security and sovereignty as the world food market is signalling crisis.
Undervaluing and devolving ownership of these spaces undermine their purpose and the role of research and development in national development.
November made it one year since the government announced that it will “freeze” the filling of vacancies across the public sector but any discussion of its impact on technical capacity and service delivery is non-existent in public discourse.
The teaching service, the dreams and aspirations of university graduates and possibly the population and our children as worse off if left ignored.
There must be greater consultation, collaboration and coordination especially to drive the benefits of education, technology adoption, innovation and entrepreneurship into our agriculture sector.
Looking at Agriculture for 2022
THE agriculture industry has been one of the leading sectors in Trinidad and Tobago since the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March 2020.
Government ha stepped up to distribute fresh produce to persons most in need while encouraging the consumption of locally grown fruits, vegetables and livestock.
It has been noted that the country would not be able to produce all the food it needs for the population although this can be argued by some.
As government and private citizens seek to enhance this sector, agriculturalist Omardath Maharaj has offered his suggestions and thoughts on the way forward for 2022.
Following is his statement shared with AZPNews.com:
The farming demographic has been changing in the past year. As the pandemic prolongs, fresh capital including finance and technology have been invested and people have shown interest in food production. Commercially, this is in the form of farmers expanding operations to satisfy gaps created by diminishing imported volume and variety as well as rising food prices generally.
There is also notable diversified operations, for example, construction contractors utilising equipment and machinery for alternative revenue generation and the continued exploration and adoption of technology in agriculture.
There has also been a surge of interest in household food production and individual action.
People have taken it upon themselves to maintain a sense of urgency and crisis about food security in this country without the vision and leadership at a national level in shaping that national conversation and call to action.
People on the ground appear unduly comforted by full supermarket shelves and uninformed of the significant pressure on our foreign exchange reserves to maintain a consumption lifestyle.
It also requires significant foreign exchange expenditure to propel domestic agriculture through the importation of machinery and equipment, agro-chemicals, seeds for sowing and other livestock-related inputs such as grains and feeds or even broodstock and chicks – all managed to keep the local economy alive and population fed.
The advanced agricultural incentive programme has also created motivation for many with a production interest. Its public relations speak to youth funding, particularly, and as always there remains a need for transparency and accountability about its impact going forward.
Food prices, paid by the average citizens, have been on the price although taxpayers money support transfers and subsidies.
We, therefore, need to look at building the resilience of our families and communities; strengthening their adaptive capacity, reducing their vulnerability and increasing their opportunities, especially in entrepreneurship.
2021 major challenges
For me, managing this country’s food supply is not an easy task, so too, leaving the production of food solely to be determined by market forces and farmers’ private investment horizon is untenable, as has arguably been the case.
More dangerous is underestimating or miscalculating the dangers and risks associated with surges and collapse of supply.
Regardless of political assurances and efforts, a challenge for food security is that in the circumstances, traditional food and agriculture input exporting countries (our import sources) may revisit their export strategies and internal policies towards either building reserves and distribution confidence or diverting trade to larger, more profitable markets in order to maintain the food and nutrition security of their populations.
The rising quantum of Covid relief peddled by the government, a number of State-sponsored food hampers, food cards with increasing dollar value and the tidal wave of civil society food support circulating in this country suggests that food insecurity across the population is rising. However, it requires that these administrators therefore engage and educate on this threat and work towards contingency planning rather than behaving as if the current social safety net measures are sustainable.
Becoming more economically viable in 2022
I look forward to the New Year with optimism especially to continue my support of the work of home gardeners, farmers and fishers through our Yard Market initiative. The continued advocacy for inclusive agriculture and rural development also requires strategic partners and assets such as the Faculty of Food and Agriculture (UWI), and other technical advisory, planning and development resources such as FAO, IICA, CARDI and other think-tanks.
The University Field Station and other government-run farms and stations must be guarded and invested in, heavily, to secure best practice, planting material, germplasm, productive livestock breeds, our ability to engage and influence the pattern of food produced locally and in the region but more so, to safeguard our food security and sovereignty as the world food market is signalling crisis.
Undervaluing and devolving ownership of these spaces undermine their purpose and the role of research and development in national development.
November made it one year since the government announced that it will “freeze” the filling of vacancies across the public sector but any discussion of its impact on technical capacity and service delivery is non-existent in public discourse.
The teaching service, the dreams and aspirations of university graduates and possibly the population and our children as worse off if left ignored.
There must be greater consultation, collaboration and coordination especially to drive the benefits of education, technology adoption, innovation and entrepreneurship into our agriculture sector.