Washington DC., Nov 22, 2016 -- The Confederation of Farmers Association of Trinidad and Tobago (ConFAtt) - a relatively new organization founded (2013) by the Tableland Pineapple Farmers Association (TPFA) and the Vihara Foundation USA, represented the interests of the T&T agricultural sector during the two day high level Caribbean Invest Forum in Capitol Hill Washington DC.
The event was sponsored by the Institute of Caribbean Studies (a Wash DC think-tank) as the 18th annual high level meeting on forging real actionable measures for Agriculture Development in the Caribbean, job creation, energy and environment, new market opportunities and financing innovation. Representation from around the Caribbean included foreign Ambassadors, CARDI, GoInvest (of Guyana), JAMPRO (of Jamaica), and other major food production organization and entities doing innovative business in the Caribbean. T&T Ambassador to OAS H.E. Anthony PHILLIPS-SPENCER was in attendance.
Ramash Ramsumair, Chairman of the ConFAff and TPFA delivered a key message on market opportunities for agri-development in T&T. Embedded in his speech were the need for investments to activate idle lands throughout the country into active agriculture, engagement of youth in agriculture, emphasis on development in agro-forestry, bees, dairy, fisheries and technology investments in irrigation and agro processing.
Ramsumair touched on the need to engage and make economically active the young people of the nation to harness the potential of job creation and sustainable income via the untapped billions of dollars of domestic market and export markets demand for agricultural produce (particularly organic produce). He shared the TPFA advancements in the area of eat local, and the proposal of a promising national eat local school feeding program in T&T.
“With 6 billion food imports confronting a present national crisis (in T&T) of lack of foreign exchange, food security of the nation is at risk, and so are social sustainability – lack of jobs and increased crime”, Ramsumair explained. He also pointed out the fact that the national budget allocation for agriculture in the country went down in 12 months from 1.2 billion annually to a mere 800 million, citing this is a red flag for food insecurity and agri undevelopment of the nation.
Mr. Barton Clarke, Executive Director, CARDI, reinforced the concern of Ramsumair's for food security of Trinidad and Tobago. He explained annual allocations for Ministry of Agriculture operating budgets do not represent true agriculture investments, but mainly budgeted allocations for salaries and other costs. Real agricultural investments to shed food importation is urgently demanded, as every import of products represent actual exportation of jobs and loss of economic potential. Furthering the discussions on this topic was Ambassador for Bahamas Godfrey Eneas, who boasted about his country's 20 year plan and policies and success around food import substitution and reducing its countries billion dollar food import bill and national food production deficit. Already visiting cruise ships are buying locally produced food production.
Jobs creation in Caribbean was also the center of discussion concerning the present political situation in America and its forthcoming immigration policies for illegal immigration (which affects many Caribbean nationals living in the USA undocumented). “The need to expand job creation via robust agriculture investments in the Caribbean have never been more urgent”, said Dennis Ramdahin during discussions at Capitol Hill with Congressional representatives. Ramdahin is founder of ConFAtt and the Vihara Foundation (USA) – a non-profit aggressively working on Agri development regionally and internationally.
Actionable outcome of the Caribbean Investment Forum included ConFAtt (and the TPFA) agreeing to sign an MOU with ICS and Farm Up Jamaica for active agricultural development and investments in Trinidad and Tobago to engage young farmers and entrepreneurs. A vision to integrate small farmers from the Caroni VCEP Program is also in the making.
The Farm Up Jamaica model is a social multi- impact model where large and established socially responsible food corporations in the USA apply corporate social responsibility to invest into active community driven agriculture development and by providing long-term market guarantees for harvested products. This sustainable program provides job opportunities and equitable salaries for young people to engage in “sexy” farming. Already implemented successfully in Jamaica, the program turns idle hands and idle lands into sutainable job creation and a community approach to economic growth. A main part of the program's success is sustained by elimination of middle traders via direct market guarantees, and organized farming. Said Dennis Ramdahin, middle traders extract a large proportion of the value from the value chain which an equitable portion should rightfully flow back to the hard working farmers.
ConFAtt and Vihara Foundation (USA) will also explore entering into an MOU with CARDI for design and implementation of Value Chain Financing for Capital Agriculture investment and aggregation of small farmers into sustainable production enterprises. Said Dennis Ramdahin, Development Strategist for creative development financing, much work has already been done in this area (by Vihara Foundation and major US Universities) with the intent to substantially increase the incomes of farmers by expanding their stakeholdership and participation in the total value chain, and also, using the value chain total life cycle values to facilitate creative financing mechanisms for development Investments.
“The actionable items provides a promising future for private sector agri development in the T&T. The true lion’s share rest however with government’s decision to diversify former Caroni Lands, open up agro-forestry nationally, mitigate pollution risks impacting quality food production eco-systems, and for which the best minds (in T&T and the Diaspora) are positioned and ready to help”, said Ramdahin
*************************
DISCLAIMER
This article was posted in its entirety as received by SKNVibes.com. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of SKNVibes.com, its sponsors or advertisers
.jpg)
.jpg)
Trinidad & Tobago News