The Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with Neal and Massy yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for a modern demonstration farm and training facility at Mon Repos. Neal and Massy donated $13M to the project, which is expected to be fully completed within the next five years.
At the ceremony, an artist’s impression of the farm was unveiled. According to this model, the farm is expected to house a duck pond, a greenhouse, a farm house, training facility and mushroom house and storage shed.
Speaking on behalf of Neal and Massy was Chief Executive Officer of Geddes Grant Seu Sarran Prasad, who presented an overview of the project. He said that the company had approached the Agriculture Ministry offering its support to the ministry’s ‘Grow More Food Campaign’, when the ministry suggested a partnership in the project and his company willingly agreed.
Prasad said his company is doing its part to ensure that the project is completed within the deadline set by the ministry.
He said he hopes that the facility will make a positive impact on agriculture locally and that the farm will engage local farmers and students. Prasad also underscored the importance of the project being sustainable financially.
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud commended Neal and Massy for undertaking the venture and said he hoped it would encourage other private sector businesses to engage in similar initiatives. He said the new facility when built would be a model facility which would be beneficial to many.
He said the objective is to have it become one where farmers can improve their skills and added that it will also serve as a training facility for students. According to the minister, the government continues to emphasise agriculture and next year the nation can expect the largest ever public investment in this sector.
The minister said the focus is moving agriculture in this country from “a low level to a higher level” and in doing this, government planned to leap frog several steps. He also emphasised that the Ministry of Agriculture was looking to produce agricultural products for export.
Meanwhile Director of the National Agricultural Re-search Institute (NARI) Dr Oudho Homenauth also saluted the initiative and said that the purpose of a demonstration farm is to ensure productivity. NARI is one of the key players in this initiative. He too urged other private sector organisations to support similar initiatives, especially in the light of the ‘Grow More Food Campaign’.
