(Trinidad Express) Minister of Agriculture Kazim Hosein has presented Letters of Appointment to the 14 members of the Food Security and Food Prices Committee.
The presentations were done at the ministry’s Chaguanas offices on Monday.
The establishment of the Cabinet-appointed committee, chaired by Nirmalla Debysingh, chief executive of the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (NAMDEVCO), is a “significant move towards addressing the issue of rising food prices in Trinidad and Tobago and it is anticipated that the committee would formulate effective solutions to address this growing concern”, the agriculture ministry said in a media release yesterday.
Hosein said this was a “pivotal step” in the Government’s commitment to ensuring access to affordable and nutritious food for all.
“The challenges before us are daunting. Food inflation, exacerbated by global disruptions such as supply chain interruptions and geopolitical conflicts, has severely impacted our food security. Our reliance on imported food items, which costs us over $5 billion annually, further complicates this issue,” he stated.
“This is compounded by rising global food prices and adverse weather conditions affecting agricultural productivity. The Food Prices Committee is not merely a response to these challenges but a strategic initiative to seek sustainable solutions”, he said.
The Food Security and Food Prices Committee is comprised of experts in agriculture, economics, nutrition, trade and consumer advocacy, so that rising food prices can be addressed from different angles and by diverse stakeholders.
