Georgetown : Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Production of Trinidad and Tobago, Jairam Seemungal has praised Guyana’s agriculture development, crediting it as a country with the ability to become one that can feed the entire Caribbean.
The Trinidadian Minister of Food Production was at the time in the company of Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and Agronomist within the Ministry of Food Production of Trinidad and Tobago, Nigel Grant addressing the media.
The session was called by Minister Ramsammy to shed light on the outcome of were facilitated with the aim of identifying areas for the two countries to collaborate towards ensuring their food security.
Areas identified for collaboration surround the issues emerging out of the Jagdeo initiative-which identifies nine-key binding constraints in terms of food security and nutrition for the Caribbean, Minister Ramsammy said. He identified these areas for collaboration as; the countries’ and the region’s high import bill, the high tariff within the region, agriculture research and agro-processing.
Trinidad as a country is dependent on oil, and its natural resources. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has given a mandate to the new administration and in particular the Ministers in the Ministry of Food Production to reduce the country’s food import bill by 50 percent. Trinidad is hoping to tap into Guyana, in meeting this mandate, Minister Seemungal said.
“In Trinidad and Tobago, there is a saying, we cannot eat oil or we cannot drink it, all we want to do is feel comfortable that we can grow some of the food that we eat. We will never be able to grow all the food we eat in Trinidad,” he said
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