Tabaquite farmers will benefit from the construction of an $18 million agri-packinghouse at the old Tanteak site at Brickfield.Yesterday Food Production Minister Devant Maharaj, together with Local Government and Works Minister Dr Surajrattan Rambachan, the MP for Tabaquite and National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (Namdevco) officials turned the sod for construction of the second of five planned packinghouses.
The first is currently under construction at Brechin Castle, Couva and other packinghouses will be constructed at La Gloria, Wallerfield and Cushe.Maharaj, addressing the ceremony at Brickfield, encouraged farmers to see the packinghouse as an opportunity to advance from food producers to entrepreneurs. He said the facility will provide employment opportunities through linkages in agro-processing and can create further vertical linkages with restaurants and fast food outlets when the packed produce is marketed.
"The initiative of this packinghouse will provide long over due support and a modern facility for the farmers in their respective areas. Farmers will be encouraged to not only simply be farmers but to become agro-entrepreneurs," Maharaj said.Rambachan called on Maharaj to review the importation of cabbage since farmers in his constituency are complaining about challenges they are facing because of foreign competition.
"We must examine whether cabbage is being dumped in the country because a lot of these farmers overseas get support, in terms of the government," he said. Rambachan stressed that to develop T&T's agricultural sector and encourage people in the sector "sometimes you may have to pay a couple cents more to ensure your people stay in agriculture. Food security is a very big issue."
Maharaj said he is "committed to reviving the local agriculture industry by action and not promises and we are committed to ensuring the diversification of the economy through agriculture. In the coming months the other packinghouses will come on stream and this is just the beginning."He said the nation is seeing tangible benefits from the strides being made in the sector, such as a reduction in food inflation and 2.3 per cent growth.
He said the packinghouse, which will be constructed on 1700 square metres of land and offer 300 square metres of storage space, will benefit farmers from Tabaquite, Brasso, Caratal, Brothers' Road and Rio Claro.Construction of the Brickfield Tabaquite Packinghouse will begin next month and it is expected to take between six to eight months to complete.
Namdevco acting CEO Ganesh Gangapersad said at the facility fresh produce will be "received, sorted, graded, stored and distributed to supermarkets, restaurants and school feeding programme freshly for consumption." Maharaj said the packinghouse would have large chillers to store goods, a processing area, offices for staff and training facilities for farmers
He said through the Commodity Stabilisation Fund farmers will be contracted to sell at a specific price so they would not be subjected to the "vagaries of market forces and this will be guaranteed a price."Tabaquite Vegetable Farmers Association President Slyvester Pino welcomed the packinghouse. Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Production, Jairam Seemungal, said moves are also being taken to revitalise the rice industry and by the end of the year 5,000 acres of rice will be ready for cultivation.