A recent visit to India by Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley, would appear to have realized key ‘connections’ in the rice sector that could better position the twin-island republic to enhance its food security credentials and, conceivably, join Guyana in boosting the overall food security of the countries of the Caribbean.
Last Friday, the Trinidad Express reported that a recent visit to India – currently ranked as the world’s second largest rice producer, behind China – by Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Dr. Rowley had yielded “a gift of rice and oil” from the Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd (HAFED), “the largest apex cooperative in Haryana, India.” According to the Express, Dr. Rowley “had agreed to accept these items which will be distributed to the needy in Trinidad and Tobago.”
It appears, however, that the visit to India by the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister could yield much longer-term returns arising out of a more recent visit to Trinidad and Tobago by “the Chairman of the Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd (HAFED) and two managers.”
Significantly, the President of the Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago, Daryl Rampersad, speaking against the backdrop of the visit to T&T by the Haryana officials alluded to what, according to The Express report, has been the fact that “rice farmers (in T&T) have been struggling for years, and that setting up a rice mill in the country could create opportunities for the local farming community whilst removing the problem of late payments from past and present governments.”
Seemingly, the critical takeaway from Dr. Rowley’s engagements with the Haryana officials was that HAFED “is considering establishing a rice mill in T&T,” according to the Express report.
Dr. Rowley sees such a move as likely causing quite a few rice farmers within T&T who have left the industry “to get back into rice production.” The Trinidad And Tobago Prime Minister is also quoted as saying that while some farmers in the country own “around 200 acres of farming land each… they were also faced with the challenge that consumption trends had changed.” The donation made to Trinidad and Tobago by HAFED includes (according to the media report) “basmati rice, parboiled rice, steel rice and edible oils.”
