Agri Society: 25 per cent drop in food import bill by 2025 unrealistic

RADHICA DE SILVA

Senior Multimedia Reporter

radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

As the Government sets a goal to reduce the $7.2 billion food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025, the President of the Agriculture Society, Darryl Rampersad, says this target is not realistic.

Responding to the measures announced in the budget for agriculture, Rampersad explained that even with all the necessary incentives for farmers, achieving this goal in just a few months is unlikely.

“It will take at least a year to 18 months to see results,” he said. Rampersad stressed that the necessary support must include an agricultural incentive programme to boost production.

“We need to locally increase our ability to produce items, including rice.

“People used to eat local rice, but now they are consuming Jasmine and Basmati, which we don’t produce locally. It will take time, but with the Food Security Committee in place, a strategic plan can be developed to boost production,” he explained.

Rampersad added that certain agricultural sectors, particularly rice production and animal husbandry, take time to yield results.

“Rice can take six months to produce, and animal husbandry could take up to 24 months. That’s why I would safely project that we won’t achieve this goal until at least 2026.”

Rampersad also called for incentives to be extended to all active farmers, except those farming illegally in forest reserves.

“We need to make sure the incentives reach those in active production,” he said.

Meanwhile, University of the West Indies Fisheries Economist, Sharon Hutchinson, also expressed concerns over the budgetary allocation to agriculture.

She noted that the Agriculture Sector received 2.0 per cent in the 2025 Budget, compared to 2.4 per cent in 2024.

“While this may not seem like a big difference, this sector is budgeted to receive $258 million dollars less than allocated in the 2024 budget. This is worrying because it suggests that investments in key upgrades and capital projects are likely to be curtailed, given that staffing costs account for a sizeable chunk of expenses,” she said.

However, she welcomed the Agriculture Internship Programme, saying it would provide hands-on experience for graduates, benefiting both the students and the Ministry of Agriculture.

“I would have liked to see more emphasis on sustainable development from the point of investing more resources into the development of renewable energy, even as we further develop our oil and gas sector,” she said.

And while the budget included new solar energy projects, more support for the use of electric cars and the adoption of climate-smart technologies, Hutchinson said these investments need to be scaled up with private sector input.

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