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| Princes Town MP Nela Khan assists Food Production Minister Vasant Bharath in handing out leases. (Max Ottley Photo) |
Bharath made the announcement at a function at the Chaguanas Borough Corporation’s headquarters that was interrupted by heavy rains, which one member of the audience called "a blessing from above".
In a speech before handing out the leases, the minister said, “This is not a gift. This is your right that has been denied to you,” noting that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was the driving force behind the distribution of the leases.
He recalled the closure of the sugar company by the previous administration shortly after Patrick Manning took office following the the 2002 general election.
"In one emotional political stroke of the pen the previous government shut down your industry and then refused to honour its commitment to provide you with what was rightfully yours – land for growing food and a plot to build your home," Bharath said.
"Not even a court order changed their spiteful attitude to you. They were determined to make you jobless, landless and homeless – determined to create an army of dispossessed people."
He added, "Your resilience and the commitment of our Prime Minister thwarted their plans...and that is why we are here today to give you what is rightfully yours.
"Our Prime Minister and the members of the government she leads are here to rekindle that light that was almost extinguished and to offer new hope for a more productive future for all of us."
Bharath added, "We are standing on hallowed ground, consecrated by the labour of slaves and indentured labourers who built the agricultural base that was at one time more economically important to this nation than oil and ga
"Today we pledge to work with you to give you all the subsidies and incentives that you need to convert these former sugar lands into productive farms to feed our nation."
Bharath spoke of the country's high import bill for food, which he said is more than $4 billion annually, noting that most of what the country imports can be grown locally. "Why, for example do we import milk from Argentina?" he asked.
The minister also spoke of the new subsidies that the government has introduced to replace the outdated ones that had not been changed for decades.
"It takes into account the realities of a business in today’s competitive environment, adopting new technology and mechanisation," he said.
Bharath said for the first time in Trinidad and Tobago the government is offering an incentive program that provides rebates for:
He also explained that the ministry and its agencies are working to correct many of the perennial problems that farmers face such as poor access roads, flooding and irrigation.
"It takes into account the realities of a business in today’s competitive environment, adopting new technology and mechanisation," he said.
Bharath said for the first time in Trinidad and Tobago the government is offering an incentive program that provides rebates for:
- the installation of on-farm security
- the aquaculture sub-sector
- post harvest operations and marketing
- agro-processing
- start-up production costs to primarily encourage youth interest and new farmers in the sector
He also explained that the ministry and its agencies are working to correct many of the perennial problems that farmers face such as poor access roads, flooding and irrigation.
The minister said irrigation ponds are being constructed for farmers and promised that 300 of them will be ready by the end of June. in addition 250 kilometers of access roads have been built to help farmers get into and out of their lands.
Bharath noted that a few former sugar workers have not yet responded to the government's offer of leases and urged those who are entitled to the lands to make sure they come forward. He said he hopes to bring closure to the lands issue by the end of the year and to ensure that everyone gets the lands promised by the Manning government.
He urged the farmers to make the lands productive.
Bharath noted that a few former sugar workers have not yet responded to the government's offer of leases and urged those who are entitled to the lands to make sure they come forward. He said he hopes to bring closure to the lands issue by the end of the year and to ensure that everyone gets the lands promised by the Manning government.
He urged the farmers to make the lands productive.
"Today we take a major step forward in our journey to self sufficiency in food with you as our partners," he said.
"You represent hope that the lands that once sustained our economy through sugar will become productive again to feed our nation."
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