Food import bill ‘still high’

WHEN it comes to food, there should be no politics involved and Government should make every effort to reduce the food import bill which is still in the billions. This is according to Dhano Sookhoo, president of the Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago. Sookhoo told the Express yesterday that not enough was being done to encourage local farmers to sell their crops. In March 2014, the Food Production Ministry disclosed that the $4 billion a year food import bill, had been reduced by two per cent over a three year period, and that there had been a decline in the agriculture sector over the past 20 years. The ministry said that between 2010 and 2013, the agriculture sector has seen growth. Sookhoo said several local crops had potential to be exported such as hot pepper which was re-exported to Miami two weeks ago after a period of six years. Sookhoo said: “We need to put better policies in place that will enhance production. In the last three years you would know that there was a serious decline in food production in this country. We are nowhere near with tapping into becoming a food secure nation." She said: "There are thousands of acres of arable agriculture land that we need to get into production. The agricultural sector has no being in the politics of Trinidad and Tobago, it is the business of every one.” Sookhoo said: “As a farmer you can't be farming today and tomorrow somebody comes and remove you because they want to do some industrial programme or housing as the case may be , we need to ensure that those lands we put in agriculture stays in agriculture."

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