Four firms get licences for mega farms
DIXIE-ANN DICKSON | 8:15 pm
Published: January 20th, 2009
Minister of Agriculture Arnold Piggott,
centre, with four investors in the Government’s
Large Farm Programme. They are Robert Phillips,
of Supermix Feeds Trinidad, left; Dianne Ali,
agronomist at Caribbean Chemicals Ltd; Shairaz
Ali, president of Two Brothers Corporation, Guyana;
and Godfrey Delyle, of Technology Farms Ltd.
Photo: Lester Forde
DIXIE-ANN DICKSON | 8:15 pm
The Government has moved one step closer towards greater food production as it presented licences to investors to operate large farms across the country.
The presentation was made yesterday by Minister of Agriculture Arnold Piggott at the Ballroom of Cascadia Hotel in St Ann’s. Piggott said the establishment of the large farms was very pivotal to the Government’s thrust for increasing domestic food production, as well as promoting greater reliability of supplies and sustainability of production.
“This would mark another milestone in the implementation of the Government’s Large Farm Programme for the containment of food price inflation and the promotion of domestic food security of at least 25 per cent of national demand for the six food groups,” Piggott said. Licences were presented to Supermix Feeds, Technology Farms Limited, Two Brothers Corporation of Guyana and Caribbean Chemicals Limited which have been selected for four out of the 11 Commercial Agricultural Farms to be located at Jerningham, Edinburgh, Caroni and Picton, respectively. “The provisional licences would provide them with a jump-start to begin cultivation in some eight months time when the agricultural leases become available in the next two to three months,” Piggott said.
“I would continue to fast track the implementation of the programme as it is of critical importance in providing food security for all people in T&T.”
Piggott said the Government would not be financing the project, but had only provided state lands to the farms. He said the investors were responsible for all infrastructural works such as roads, irrigation and other works. He said the Government expected the firms to operate at a high level of efficiency producing output at a consistent high quality and at an affordable price to consumer. In addition, he said, this initiative would impact food supplies for primary consumption as well as feedstock for the agro-processing and food manufacturing sub-sectors.
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President of Two Brothers Corporation of Guyana, Shairaz Ali, said his company had been in rice production more than 35 years and would be bringing his expertise and technology from Guyana to produce rice in T&T. He said he would source labour from both Guyana and Trinidad. Questioned why he chose to come to Trinidad, he admitted that it would be cheaper for his company to operate out of T&T. Piggott said the Government was willing to relax the rules for agriculture to accommodate Caricom countries.
