Grenada seeking support from T&T in a number of areas

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (CMC) – Grenada has made an “impassioned plea” to the new Keith Rowley administration in Trinidad and Tobago for renewed negotiations with the state-owned Caribbean Airlines (CAL), especially as it relates to the cargo flights out of Grenada.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell met with his Trinidad and Tobago counterpart in Port of Spain last week, and a government statement here quoted Mitchell as having concerns of the negative impact that the reduction in CAL flights was having on economic development in Grenada.

Mitchell said the reduction was not only in relation to difficulties being encountered by visitors travelling to Grenada  impacting the tourism sector, but also by the agriculture and fisheries sectors which were being negatively impacted through the inability to access export markets.

He noted that the productive sectors had already experienced sharp declines in prices and there were huge build-ups in domestic stocks of both fish and agricultural products.

“Prime Minister Rowley was extremely enthusiastic in his support for an urgent meeting among the CAL representatives and representatives from the Grenada government and Airport Authority, in order to immediately identify the options for expanded CAL services to Grenada,” the government statement said.

It said that Mitchell impressed upon his counterpart the urgency of expanding the CAL flights, even if Grenada would be required to provide a small subsidy and that officials from the Grenada Airport Authority is scheduled to begin meetings with CAL officials this week.

The meeting between Rowley and Mitchell, the first since the Trinidad and Tobago prime minister came to office following the September 7 general election there, also discussed a proposal for debt relief.

“The prime ministers exchanged their positions on the present debt levels of both countries, and discussed prescriptions for reducing the unacceptably high level of debt which impacted the national development of their respective countries,” the statement said, adding that the two leaders also “committed to assisting each other both in respect of policies, relief and other measures where possible”.

The statement said that Rowley “pledged his commitment to assisting Grenada with the treatment of its bilateral debt to Trinidad and Tobago” and asked St George’s “to provide a brief and start the follow up process with Trinidad and Tobago’s Finance Minister, Colm Imbert, who was also present at that meeting”..

In their discussions, the two leaders reiterated that the trading relationship between the two Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries “was too significant to be taken lightly, and needed to be advanced through such mechanisms as a deepened commitment to the CARICOM Single Market and the Economy (CSME)”.

The statement said that the two countries are developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in relation to healthcare and that while they discussed the relatively advanced state of the medical services in Trinidad and Tobago continuing to be available to Grenada “it was important to determine clear procedures for Grenada to access these services in Trinidad and Tobago”.

The two leaders also agreed that the draft MOU on Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) would be examined with a view to finalizing the arrangement in the shortest time frame.

Mitchell, who has responsibility for ICT within the quasi CARICOM cabinet, said he firmly believes that ICT constitutes a key development driver and thus, it is an area to which he had accorded significant attention.

Taken from Jamaica Observa

Govt to set up 254 e-agri information centres

Aiming to expand e-Krishi (e-agriculture) in rural areas, the government has taken an initiative to set up 254 ICT-driven Agriculture Information and Communication Centers (AICCs) in 254 upazilas for disseminating agricultural information among farmers, officials said.

National ICT Infra-Network for Government Phase II Project (InfoSarker) under ICT Division has chosen 254 farmers' clubs based on communications facilities, availability of electricity and clubs' own houses from 14,000 farmers' associations to turn those as ICT-based AICCs.

AICCs are expected to go into operation in December next.

As part of initiative, InfoSarker Project is going to organise a workshop at the auditorium of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) on Wednesday to build the capacity of farmers to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

“ICTs can play very important role in bridging information gaps, and that's why the government is going to set up 254 more AICCs to expand e-Krishi in rural areas,” said State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak.

The minister said agriculture is becoming increasingly knowledge-intensive and the government has been promoting ICT use to provide information to farmers, and has focused on ICT innovation for improving agricultural production and enhancing value chains.

Farmers will require increased information to make complex decisions on their land use, selection of agricultural commodities they plant, choice of markets to sell their agricultural produces and other necessary decisions that impact livelihoods of their families and society, Palak said.

He said the members of farmers' clubs will play the role of 'smart farmers' through providing agricultural information that will contribute towards boosting the country's farm output.

According to sources, with establishment of 254 AICCs by the InfoSarker Project, total number of AICCs will rise to 499 as the government earlier set up 245 AICCs.

Taken from: The Daily Star

NACTA Poll: Voters reserve judgement on Budget

THERE are split feelings on the national budget, according to a poll conducted by Dr Vishnu Bisram of the North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA).

According to the poll, voters were supportive of some aspects of the measures contained in the People’s National Movement Government’s first budget presentation, namely the reduction of VAT; increase in pension; raising the personal allowance in tax returns; waiver of various fees for seniors; and relocation of Agriculture Ministry but were displeased with others such as the removal of the gas subsidy; reduction in allocation to farming and cancellation of laptop program.

A plurality of voters reserved judgement on the budget viewing it as an interim plan that will be recalibrated mid-year.

The poll interviewed 410 voters reflecting the demographics of the population with four (4) percent margin of error.

The poll found almost everyone were displeased with the government’s handling of crime and approved of the increased allocation to Ministry of National Security.

Asked if they approve of the budget, there is an almost equal split among those who approve (32 percent) and are opposed (33 percent) with a plurality (35 percent) reserving judgment saying the budget will be revisited mid-year, according to NACTA.

Imbert praised for ‘fair’ fiscal package Many PNM supporters, NACTA added, praised Finance Minister Colm Imbert for what they described as a “fair and workable budget” given the time constraints in preparing it.

Some 80 percent of the nation opposed the removal of the gas subsidy.

“There is a psychological feeling (real and imagined) that cost of living is going up. People complain they are already feeling the pinch in prices of almost every item (including transportation) going up,” NACTA noted.

The poll also noted almost everyone approved of the 2.5 percent reduction on VAT but opposed the re-application of the VAT on items that were previously exempted.

“Many feel there is no net gain from the VAT reduction since they are paying VAT on previously VAT-free items,” NACTA said.

Little support for Rapid Rail The poll further noted, voters were divided on the proposed rapid rail transit system with 41 percent opposed, 37 percent supportive, and 22 percent had no opinion. “Many voters feel a rapid rail is not feasible and the population is too small to make it economical,” said NACTA.

Almost everyone supported the relocation of the Agriculture Ministry to Central Trinidad and while many viewed it as a politically expedient act, they also felt the move will better serve the national interest.

Respondents were also said to be impressed with the performance of Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat. ‘Farmers are pleased with his policy of engaging them.

However, a majority of voters (55 percent), including almost every farmer, feel the Agriculture’s budget allocation is insufficient to realise goals,” NACTA noted.

Point Fortin highway not a priority The pollsters also reported that most voters said they did not consider completion of Pt.

Fortin Highway as a priority but did not want it to be neglected.

“And they are not very pleased with the decision to end the free lap top programme saying it can be re-organised.

Questioned about the election petition before the court, voters are almost evenly divided (on party affiliation) on whether the election results will be set aside with a significant 22 percent of respondents saying “not sure”.

Many voters display lack of awareness on the petition process.

On approval ratings, NACTA said it was too early to render judgment on the performance of the government, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Attorney General Faris Al Rawi, but noted that persons polled did indicate that they liked “the new (calm and soft tone) Rowley”.

‘The remake of his image has done wonders garnering praise even among PP supporters,” NACTA noted.

Taken from, Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday

‘Need to have value for money when we spend’

TRINIDAD and Tobago is suffering from Dutch disease and the only cure for this ailment is diversifying away from the energy sector.
But according to the Unit Trust Corporation’s executive director Ian Chinapoo, this diversification cannot come overnight and it requires more than physical infrastructure and money.
“Diversification is not a near-term thing. I have seen people say five or ten years, when actually, most of the people who I respect, say it takes a generation. A generation is up to 30 years. Why? Because diversification does not only require physical infrastructure and money, it requires cultural and behavioural changes,” Chinapoo said last week during a post-budget discussion hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, Mt Hope.
He raised concern that over the years successive governments have touted the need for diversification into various areas including tourism, agriculture, ICT and the creative industry but the fact remains that Trinidad and Tobago is still heavily dependent on energy revenues.

Taken from Trinidad Express Newspapers

CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR DEVELOPMENT & GOVERNANCE

Would you agree if we say that the day wouldn’t be complete without that daily dose of social media? Some say that it has the power to change governments. Your likes, dislikes, your thinking patterns, your friends, what you eat and everything else about your life is chronicled in 1s and 0s thanks to social media.

The previous week, we were at the Water’s Edge to attend a workshop on social media. It was aimed at increasing awareness and enhance capacities of members of parliament, government leaders, policymakers, GCIOs and other officers from various agencies and ministries of the Government on how to utilize social media for development and governance. Social Media for Development and Governance, a five-day capacity building program was co-organized by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) and the United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for ICT for Development (UN-APCICT).

The first day was dedicated for Government Chief Information Officers. With Mr. Sameera Jayawardena a Project Manager – ICT HR Capacity Building, ICTA welcoming the participants and the resource persons, the workshop officially commenced. He invited Dr. Hyeun-Suk Rhee the Director, UN-APCICT to make the opening remarks. She spoke about the importance of social media and the work that APCICT does. Here, she mentioned about the Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders Module 11, Social Media for Development. She also spoke about the WIFI (Women and ICT Frontier Initiative) program, an initiative of APCICT that aims to develop the capacity of women entrepreneurs in using ICT.

To read about each session: CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR DEVELOPMENT & GOVERNANCE

Agriculture Ministry building an empty shell

THE ADMINISTRATIVE complex in Chaguanas earmarked to house the Ministry of Agriculture is a “facade” and “just an empty shell”, Finance Minister Colm Imbert has said.

Imbert made the statement on Friday night as the Standing Finance Committee reviewed the funds allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries at the Parliament Building, Tower D of the International Waterfront in Port of Spain.

He was at the time responding to a question from Member of Parliament for Naparima Rodney Charles about the $1.9 million allocated to the Agriculture Ministry for “Rent/Lease Office Accommodation or Storage”.

“The question is in the context that we have left an excellent office complex for you in Chaguanas and your stated intention to move to that building. Would it not make sense as a cost saving device to house this item, this accommodation item in that excellent facility which we left?” Charles asked.

Imbert said the building was one of many empty shells left by the People's Partnership administration.

“There will be contractual obligations which would have been entered into by the former administration, there will be rental of offices in various places and therefore this all needs to be rationalised during 2016 and this is why the Ministry of Finance has given them an allocation of $1.9 million.

“Surely and certainly if the move to Chaguanas can be done quickly and efficiently then there would be a saving here but I must say the former government opened a lot of buildings but they were just shells, empty shells, there was nothing in them.

“They were just a facade, when you go behind all you see is concrete and steel. So we don't really know how soon it will be possible for the Minister to move into the building in Chaguanas and that is specific to that building which is just an empty shell,” Imbert said.

Taken from Trinidad Express

Youth input crucial to feeding world’s hungry

Youth partnership and leadership are crucial to creating a world free from hunger.

These are the words of the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), José Graziano da Silva, as he urged young people to play their part in ending world hunger by 2030. 

He spoke at “Mobilising Generation Zero Hunger” a high-level side event of the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in New York. 

There are over 800 million hungry people in a world of plenty with high levels of food wastage. Graziano da Silva went on to note: “We can feed all the people in the world and we throw out even one-third of all the food we produce. So the problem is not food, poverty is the reason behind hunger, not lack of food,” he said. 

Zero Hunger by 2030 – new development target Zero Hunger is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) formally adopted on 25 by the 193 member states of the United Nations General Assembly. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs are hailed as a universal vision for a better world... zero hunger, the second goal, (SDG #2), calls on countries to end hunger, achieve food security, improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. 

Empower youths, involve citizens, and promote sustainable agriculture However, achieving zero hunger is only possible through collective efforts from governments and citizens alike. 

Youths, including young women, must be empowered to get involved in the agriculture and food sector through integrated training, providing young people with access to land, Internet communication technologies, mentorship for young entrepreneurs and tailored financial products. 

Often the voices of youth are not heard in policy processes that affect them. Effective and inclusive co-operatives and producer organisations, including agricultural co-operatives, can represent youth interests. They can encourage leadership and participation in policy and decision-making processes at national, regional and global levels. 

Reduce Caribbean youth unemployment, increase food security Across the Caribbean there are approximately 260,000 unemployed youth, many of whom are located in rural areas, or have migrated into capital cities from rural areas. Further, Caribbean youth unemployment rates are among the highest in the world – 25 percent, compared to global averages of 10 per cent. 

“Caribbean youth face enormous challenges... 

The agricultural sector can play a significant role in creating decent employment opportunities for youth, which can stimulate a sense of community and pride which contributes to personal and regional development,” said John Ronald Deep Ford, FAO co-ordinator for the Caribbean. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) have joined forces to tackle the growing level of youth unemployment in the Caribbean. A US$2.7 million dollar programme “Strengthening decent rural employment opportunities for young women and men in the Caribbean” will be implemented in collaboration with a number of Caribbean governments and key stakeholders in six countries: Belize, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana and Haiti. Other countries in the region are also expected to benefit from the programme’s regional activities.” Another focus of FAO in the Caribbean is the development of the cassava industry, bringing youth and family producers into commercial relationships. 

Social Protection and agriculture help transition from poverty FAO’s mandate is to ensure that people have sufficient high quality food to lead active and healthy lives, while eradicating poverty, hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; and promoting sustainable management and use of natural resources. 

FAO recognises that the next generation holds the key to the future. 

Children and young people, particularly girls, are among the most vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition. 

Joint agriculture and social protection initiatives such as cash transfers and public work programmes help vulnerable rural households who typically face multiple constraints and risks. 

Taken from Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Smart to support preparedness by joining disaster communication forums

Telco giant Smart Communications (Smart) on Wednesday vowed to continuously support promote the culture of preparedness by continuously participating in regional disaster communication conferences.

Besides providing communications as relief during disasters, Smart also helps strengthen the capacity of high-risk communities to prepare for, manage, and recover from the impact of disasters.

Previously, Smart joined the first-ever regional disaster communications conferences, dubbed as ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Bayanihan, being the first telco to co-organize the regional meeting.

The ICT Bayanihan is organized by Office of Civil Defense’s (OCD) under the Department of National Defense

Such regional conferences aim to institutionalize rapid emergency telecommunication teams to lead immediate response and support when there are disasters.

Smart also developed the Batingaw mobile app for OCD-NDRRMC, which can be downloaded for free at Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Batingaw is a handy resource and reporting tool for nationwide disaster management.

Smart Public Affairs Community Partnerships Senior Manager Nova Concepcion in a statement stressed the importance of communications in the entire disaster risk management process.

“For a country of many islands like the Philippines, located in an area being visited by at least 20 typhoons a year, this series of regional summit focused on communications is exactly what we need,” Concepcion said.

“And as member of the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster of the NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council), we saw it fit to support the ICT Bayanihan,” Concepcion added.

Smart has also been consistent in providing immediate “libreng tawag” services to areas affected by disasters. Smart’s satellite services are connected to affected areas to the rest of the world.

The telco also offers a web-based disaster communications solution called Smart Infocast, which has been proven effective in disseminating weather forecasts and warnings.

Taken from The Manila Times

Confusion over cost of agrochemicals

Managing director of Caribbean Chemicals Joe Pires is accusing Finance Minister Colm Imbert of creating problems for local chemical importers by announcing the Government’s proposal to make approved chemicals and pesticides tax and duty exempt, beginning next January.

Pires said Imbert’s statement had led farmers to query chemical importers as to how much they were going to reduce the cost of chemicals, which they sold to agricultural shops.

Pires said he became perplexed and confused by Imbert’s announcement since duties and VAT on all agricultural chemicals were waived years ago.

“His (Imbert’s) statement has created a lot of problems for companies like us that import chemicals. Now farmers are asking us what is our new pricing and when are the prices coming down. But there has never been any duties or VAT on agriculture chemicals. I don’t know what the minister is talking about.”

In presenting the budget, Imbert stated that he would exempt from all duties and taxes inputs into the agricultural sector, including approved chemicals, pest control, approved vehicles, approved fishing vessels and equipment, which will take effect on January 1, 2016.

Caribbean Chemicals is one of the country’s largest chemical importers.

Manager of Carlsen Chemicals Ltd Kamal Hakim also admitted that farmers called his Carapichaima business to find out “what is going to happen now.”

Hakim said as long as he could remember there had been no duty and VAT on agriculture chemicals that came into Trinidad.

“That is the law.”

Pires said when VAT was introduced over 20 years ago by the then National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) administration “no VAT was put on agriculture chemicals. The government at the time realised that the cost of chemicals to the farmer would have amounted to 60 per cent of their inputs and labour. They needed to keep food prices down in order for farmers to be competitive.” 

In the coming days, Pires said, chemical importers would issue a statement to Imbert to clear the air on the matter.

“We are hoping that this issue will be addressed,” Pires said, “because it’s causing a lot of confusion with the importers.”

Price gouging

Following the budget, Pires said, he also heard that some agricultural shops had begun to increase the prices of chemicals.

Pires accused the shops of price gouging and “trying to make a fast buck” at a time when the country was facing a downturn in the economy and citizens were asked to tighten their belts.

Plum Mitan rice farmer Hansraj Ramlal said from Tuesday, a 110-pound bag of urea which he originally paid $200 for had increased to $225.

Ramlal said a three-litre bottle of Amine, a selective weedicide, which he uses on his 300-acre farm, had skyrocketed from $125 to $145.

Pires said these businessmen had no reason to increase their prices since chemical companies would deliver goods to their shops when an order was placed.

He said the owners were capitalising on the hike in the price of gasoline, which moved from $2.70 to $3.11 per litre, and of diesel, which increased from $1.50 to $1.73, and taking advantage of farmers.

“This is price gouging. This should not be happening. In most cases we deliver to the shops. We have not raised the prices of our chemicals even though fuel has gone up. And we have no intention of raising our prices. So why should they raise theirs?” Pires said he was willing to work with Imbert to help improve the agriculture sector.

Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources Avinash Singh said Government was considering importing some environmentally safe chemicals that are already on the approved list by Customs and Excise Division.

Singh said other countries that sold these chemicals imposed duties and taxes, which Imbert would waive for the buyers and importers.

Taken from Guardian Trinidad and Tobago

No taxes for farmers in 2016

COME January 1, 2016, farmers will be exempted from duties and taxes as the Government attempts to boost agriculture production.

There will also be a number of national competitions and awards for farmers and pupils.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert, in delivering the 2015/2016 budget yesterday, said the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) generated from agriculture was only .5 per cent when compared to that of energy, which was 40 per cent.

He said the People's National Movement (PNM) Government will attempt to increase productivity in that sector. The agriculture sector was allocated $831 million, a decrease from last year's allocation of $1.328 billion.

"In pursuit of our objective for achieving food security, we will exempt from all duties and taxes various inputs into the agricultural sector, including approved chemicals, pest control, approved vehicles, approved fishing vessels and equipment . These measures will take effect from January 1, 2016," said Imbert.

“Through the Agriculture Development Bank (ADB) we will reintroduce the Prime Minister's Award for the best kitchen garden in schools and also introduce a number of national competitions and awards aiming at motivating farmers to strive for excellence in agricultural production," he added.

"We must do all that we can to expand agricultural production, to reduce our reliance on imported food products. Food production must be made affordable and competitive. We must reverse decline in agriculture production and create a strong, modern, prosperous and competitive agriculture sector.

“We will do so by enhancing public sector investment, encouraging private investment in agriculture, in particular agro technology and the creation and modernisation of agri business infrastructure. We are now directing agriculture development under one unified structure—the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries, " Imbert said.

"Security of land tenure is now being afforded high priority and lands will now be delivered with access roads, drainage and irrigation systems. The Agriculture Development Bank will be adequately resourced to allow farmers readily accessible credit."

Changes coming to agriculture

Speaking to the Express shortly after Imbert's presentation, Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat added to what the Finance Minister mentioned.

“We propose to increase the contribution of agriculture and fisheries to GDP, in particular contribution to household income in rural Trinidad and Tobago. A more resourced ADB and a reorganised National Agriculture Marketing and Development Corporation will be a critical part of the push. We recognise that agri-business development needs help. In many institutions set up to support agriculture and fisheries, the development component is not forgotten,“ saidRambharat.

“The Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries will assign the new board of the Agricultural Development Bank the task of moving its Business Development Unit from Henry Street, Port of Spain.

“That unit should be staffed with the expertise to support new and existing farmers in developing their projects. ADB will be asked to set a date for the opening of an Agri Business Development Centre, the first centre to be located in Central Trinidad."

The Agriculture Ministry's headquarters is soon to be relocated to Chaguanas. Shiraz Khan, president of the Trinidad Unified Farmers' Association, said he was pleased to see that recommendations made by farmers were taken into consideration.

At a meeting with Rambharat on Sunday, Khan said it was suggested that competitions be held amongst farmers and that they be exempted from taxes and duties.

Khan told the Express: "I think it (competition) would be a good stepping ground in order for us to increase our ability to produce more and we could learn from other farmers who are doing better. That will help us."

He added: "Now that that exemption is taking place, we will be happy to benefit from that. We are happy that the land issue is finally going to be dealt with. We have been clamouring for our deeds and our land issue to be settled so we could enjoy some sort of comfort."

Taken from Trinidad Express Newspaper

2015 MSU Small Ruminant Health Symposium

Veterinarians, animal health professionals, and small ruminant owners and producers are encouraged to attend the symposium to hear lectures and panels led by faculty and professionals of small ruminant health.

Small Ruminants play an important role in Michigan. According to the National Agriculture Statistics Service as of January 1, 2015, Michigan had 27,000 head of goats and 76,000 head of sheep. This ranks Michigan 19th in the country when looking at the value of small ruminant production. The health and well-being of goats and sheep is very important to maintain this production.

On Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine will host the MSU Small Ruminant Health Symposium. Veterinarians, animal health professionals, and small ruminant owners and producers are encouraged to attend the symposium to hear lectures and panels led by faculty and professionals of small ruminant health.

Speakers include Dr. Mary Smith from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Brian Larsen from JG Consulting Services, Dr. Jennifer Roberts from MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Dalen Agnew from MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. Richard Ehrhardt from MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. Topics include zoonotic diseases, sheep scrapie, obstetrics and neonatal care, male breeding soundness exams, necropsy, and fecal egg counting. A panel discussion will conclude the sessions in the afternoon.

To read more, 2015 MSU Small Ruminant Health Symposium

Africa: 'Youth Dividend' Will Help Africa Produce Food and Jobs

The 2015 Africa Agriculture Status report, entitled Youth in Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, has been launched at the African Green Revolution Forum in Lusaka.

According to the report there are almost 200 million people aged between 15 and 24 on the continent, of whom 10 million enter the labour market every year. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity to encourage young people to drive growth by engaging in entrepreneurship - by producing food but also in the research, processing, packaging and retail sectors.

Already, African countries spend more than U.S. $60 billion on food imports each year. And the World Bank predicts that by 2030 an increase in incomes in major cities could generate consumer demand for food products in the region of U.S. $1 trillion.

This offers a massive opportunity for African producers. If we are to take full advantage of it, says Agnes Kalibata, the president of The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), entrepreneurship is vital.

"African 'agri-preneurs' can own that market," she says, "if we tap the two assets that should be an unbeatable combination: the world's largest population of young people, and the world's largest holdings of uncultivated arable land".

About 65 percent of Africa's labour force is employed in the agricultural sector but urgent challenges need to be addressed in order to meet consumer demand. These include: a poorly defined land rights tenure system, limited access to finance, insufficient quality farm imputs, limited access to agri-technology, a lack of entrepreneurial training and a lack of infrastructure.

Among recommendations made in the report by contributors:

"It's really time to strengthen the use of ICT in agriculture, all over Africa. So we recommend that countries put together strategies to strengthen ICT use in all the sectors from pre-production, production and marketing," says Ken Lohento, programme coordinator at the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, an international non-profit set up under an agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries and the European Union.

"This is critical," he adds, "in order to facilitate access for agricultural entrepreneurs especially in rural areas. We need shared spaces where people can access ICTs in rural areas, and we need to reduce the cost of usage, and more infrastructure in rural areas."

To read more, All Africa

Chamber’s 2016 Business Awards launched

The St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture launched the 2016 St. Lucia Business Awards on Wednesday September 30 2015. 2016 will mark the 7th Anniversary of the Award ceremony, in the current series of the private sector premier awards, which celebrates business excellence in St. Lucia. The Chamber is very pleased to once again host the Award Ceremony as the grand finale event in St. Lucia’s Nobel Laureate Week.

In her remarks committee chair Dr. Charmaine Gardner highlighted that the goal of the Saint Lucia Business Awards continues to be, rewarding and celebrating top performing companies within Saint Lucia’s private sector. The Awards have brought much prestige and attention to the many winners and nominees over the years, testament to the high regard the awards and its independent adjudication process are held by all.

Scheduled for January 23rd the 2016 awards ceremony will continue to reward and celebrate top performing companies within Saint Lucia’s private sector. The St. Lucia Business Awards continues to demonstrate that size is no deterrent to excellence as the St. Lucia Business Awards focuses on celebrating excellence in our Business Community.

This year there will be no additional awards introduced and maintains the fourteen award categories as:

1. Prime Ministers Award for Innovation

2. Award for Service Excellence

3. Entrepreneur of the Year Award

4. Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award

5. Business of the Year Award

6. Exporter of the Year Award Goods

7. Exporter of the Year Services

8. Award for Excellence in Human Resource Development

9. Award for Marketing Excellence

10. Award for Corporate Leadership

11. Award for Corporate Social Responsibility

12. Green Award

13. Idea of the Year Award

14. Ease of Doing Business Award

Applications for the St. Lucia Business Awards are available on the St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce’s website www.stluciachamber.org. Businesses have eight weeks, within which their submissions can be made as the deadline is November 26th 2015. Once submitted the nominees will be announced mid-December and the St. Lucia Business Awards will take place on Saturday January 23rd, 2016.

Taken from St. Lucia Times

Appeal: Ban the sale of wildmeat

ALTHOUGH, the hunting season is officially open, the Papa Bois Conservation is asking that there be a ban on the sale of all wildmeat.

Marc De Verteuil, founder and director of the Conservation said commercial hunting was not sustainable and the wildmeat trade added to illegal activity.

De Verteuil said it was no surprise that the ban was lifted after two years but the moratorium was to be used for a fully comprehensive wildlife survey.

“I am not opposed to hunting but I am opposed to hunting without limits, without management, " he said.

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat had said on average 18,000 to 20,000 hunting licenses are bought annually.

De Verteuil said: "The results of that survey were to be used to formulation of a scientifically managed hunt. That survey is not complete, so there can be no scientifically managed hunt. It is irresponsible to open the hunting season without knowing the status of wildlife. We live in an island that is subject to heavy development. Wildlife constantly loses ground to quarries, agriculture and housing. Additionally there is wide scale poaching."

He said: "The Minister (of Agriculture) said that some hunter household earn $60,000 per year from hunting. One thing we heard from hunting consultations is that there is a widespread consensus that commercial hunting is unsustainable. I would like to hear the minister ban the sale of wild meat.

"How do these commercial hunters support themselves during the seven months of the year that hunting is closed?" he asked.

De Verteuil added: "The reality is that a lot of wild meat gets imported from Venezuela, illegally. Allowing commercial hunting allows this cross border trade to flourish. Venezuelan wildlife can be sold openly in Trinidad and Tobago under the guise of being locally caught. The wildmeat trade is linked to drug smuggling, weapons smuggling and human trafficking. They all use the same boats so we really do not want to encourage this illegal activity."

He said: " It is unsustainable that in the year 2015 a small island state like Trinidad and Tobago has a near unregulated hunting season with little enforcement. We are blessed with abundant biodiversity but if we continue to take a laid back approach to its management we will lose it.”

Taken from Trinidad Express

Agriculture Ministry relocating to central Trinidad

The Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce is welcoming the move by the Government to locate the Ministry of Agriculture in Chaguanas and hopes that more ministries will be relocated to central and south Trinidad.

The move was disclosed in a radio interview by Prime Minister Dr keith Rowley on Wednesday.

Rowley said the Chaguanas building earmarked by the previous People’s Partnership administration for use by the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training will now house the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries.

The Chamber stated that for years, it has been lobbying for greater diversification of the country’s economy, particularly in the area of agriculture.

The Chamber said that it is looking forward to working with the new Agriculture Minister, Clarence Rambharat to help develop the industry, “particularly at a time when we will be facing many economic challenges brought on by the decline in oil and gas prices”, said the Chamber.

The Chamber said that Chaguanas is “a prime area for agricultural development and the presence of the Ministry of Agriculture in this area must be seen as a positive development for the entire country”.

The Chamber congratulated former Minister Fazal Karim for the work done to Chaguanas with the construction of the NESC headquarters, the COSTAATT campus and the OJT headquarters.

The Chamber said that the trend to decentralise ministries began with the People’s Partnership Government and hopes that this trend will continue with this new administration.

“The move to Chaguanas is also part of a trend in decentralization that was begun under the previous administration. That trend has seen the movement of a number of state agencies out of the capital city and into various others parts of the country, not just in Central, but in the South and East of the country. While this trend has not been viewed positively by some groups, we are of the firm view that all Governments must undertake to decentralize state agencies if they want to see an improvement in productivity in the country”, said that Chamber.

The Chamber also asked that the Government consider relocating other ministries to Chaguanas for further development and growth of the area.

“We hope that, given the massive dimensions of the new Ministry of Agriculture building, the new Government will give some consideration to moving other state agencies to the building, thus creating a campus for Government facilities that are otherwise far flung and often difficult to access. We certainly would like to see the Passport Office relocated to an area that is accessible to everyone and with the adequate parking facilities so lacking in the current offices”, said that Chamber.

The Chamber said the relevant authorities should take note of the traffic issues faced in the Borough and for there to be solutions to the issue.

It stated, “We also hope that prior to opening the new Ministry’s offices, the Government and the relevant authorities will visit the area to take note of the traffic problems faced at the four-way junction that intersects where the Ministry has been set up. Since the junction is already creating traffic problems, the opening of any new offices will only create greater back-up of traffic turning off the highway into Chaguanas. In the interest of acting proactively, we would strongly recommend that the issue be addressed earlier rather than later”.

The Chamber is also hopeful that the new Motor Vehicle Authority (Licensing Authority) building constructed in Caroni will soon be put to use.

According to the Chamber, this MVA will greatly reduce some of the traffic created by the presence of the Licensing Office on Wrightson Road and make life easier for many citizens.

Taken from Trinidad Express