PM urges all to plant a home garden; praises Food Production minister

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar revealed Wednesday that she has started a kitchen garden at her home in south Trinidad and urged others to do the same. She said it would cut the problem of food inflation and noted that it is also a healthy choice.

“A garden is good for health. It is also good to give you something to eat straight from the tree and it also helps to reduce your stress levels and your blood pressure–so I am advised," she said.

“I go home on weekends and I am starting to put in a kitchen garden but my difficulty is in accessing plants. Perhaps the minister for agriculture can tell us where we can buy these plants at a reasonable price,” she said. 

She also said she would like to see more local foods at government events.

“I will try to ask those who serve at the Diplomatic Centre to heed this call so that we get more local produce being put onto plates and served to those who come to the Diplomatic Centre,” she said. 

She was speaking at an event to mark a new food security initiative by the Food Production ministry at which minister Vasant Bharath announced a whole range of subsidies to help the agriculture sector.

The event was to mark the start of a marketing campaign and the distributution of information booklets containing details of the millions in incentives the State will now give to anyone who wants to get into agriculture.

“We have a lot that is coming on board,” Bharath said. He revealed that the KFC franchise has agreed to serve chips locally-produced sweet potato chips.

The minister also said more local produce will be used in the School Feeding Programme and announced that cabinet has approved funding for the renovation of 16 fish landing sites or fishing facilities.

Bharath also clarified the situation with respect to large farms, stating that no government funds have been invested in them. “This Government has not spent a penny on large farms...What we are now doing is getting the private sector to pay lease premiums: essential rentals.”

He said the large farms will not be competing with small farmers since they would be growing items such as cantaloupes, onions, sweet corn, pas doux and cimate. 

The Prime Minister was high in praise for the minister. “I don’t think we have ever had a minister who has taken on the job with such passion and such drive,” she said.