Farmers’ group wants $2.5B for agriculture in budget

The Trinidad Unified Farmers Association (TUFA) wants a $2.5 billion allocation for agriculture in the upcoming budget.

Last year, the sector received $1.4 billion from the $59 billion budget, which TUFA president Shiraz Khan describes as “meagre”.

Highlighting the urgent need to reduce the country’s rising food import bill, Khan said T&T imported $7.3 billion in food in 2022. That figure was given by Finance Minister Colm Imbert during the last budget presentation.

Khan said the agricultural sector has been neglected for over two decades and the government should not wait for another pandemic or war to take decisive action to boost food production.

He said the sector is in dire need of financial investments but there needs to be better management of the funds.

“If you give $2 billion and you go down the same road of wanton wastage then somehow or the other, we’re spinning top in mud. But if we get $2 billion and we are managing properly then we can see results,” he said.

He also urged the government to educate and train young people as older farmers are dying.

“The last time we did a survey on agriculture by the CSO . . . 90 per cent of the farmers were above 70 years, so imagine how much of them have died and how much of the younger ones have gotten older, including yours truly,” Khan said.

“If it is that you are not attracting people but if you’re only attracting people for processing and marketing, where are the producers? We need to make agriculture sexy enough for young people.”

Couva North MP Ravi Ratiram said he expects nothing but broken promises for the agricultural sector.

“The PNM’s track record is a litany of broken promises and failed initiatives. This is not just the tenth budget; it’s a testament to a government that has lost its way.

“After squandering $800 million in so-called agricultural stimulus packages, our farmers are still struggling. The PNM has driven our agriculture into the ground while they sit comfortably in their offices, detached from the pain of the people in the sector,” he said

“For four years, I’ve advocated for a Coast Guard base in central Trinidad. Instead, we’re left with nothing but empty rhetoric. We have a Coast Guard without boats! It’s an embarrassment and a clear indication that the PNM is not serious about the safety of our citizens.”

Ratiram also criticised the government for failing to provide updates on rebates for fishermen and said citizens should remain vigilant and hold the PNM accountable for its “failures”.