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  • 1 year ago

Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Kazim Hosein, says government is putting measures in place which will see the country's rice production significantly boosted, so as to be able to feed the entire nation. The Agriculture Minister made the declaration at an MOU signing between Tringen, Yara Trinidad Limited and the UWI. Rynessa Cutting has more.





Transcript
00:00Minister of Agriculture Qasim Hussein reports that after many years of stagnancy, local
00:06rice production is on the increase.
00:08I am pleased to say that we met with the Guyanese government, our Prime Minister and the President
00:16of Guyana and the Minister of Agriculture in Guyana.
00:19We had some collaboration and we got seeds from Guyana and the rice production in Trinidad
00:25has gone to the next level.
00:27Following on this, government has ruled out a number of other initiatives in a bid to
00:32bring the industry to a place where local production can replace imports.
00:36Yesterday we met with NFM, I know the Principal spoke about NFM.
00:42We met with NFM and we are going to increase the production of rice in this country.
00:51I know the NFM spoke about the India Collaborative, I met with the Indians who came to Trinidad
00:57recently.
00:58But we have enough farmers, rice farmers in this country to feed this nation.
01:04After I spoke with them yesterday and the Minister of Trade was with me, we will work
01:09together to ensure that the rice will be on our shelves to feed the nation.
01:15Further advances are also being made on the technological front to ensure greater agricultural
01:21yields.
01:22Just recently, the Ministry acquired a nitrogen analyzer, allowing for thorough analysis of
01:28soil state.
01:30These services have seen a 30% increase in uptake from farmers, a promised trend that
01:37underscores the demand for precise data-driven recommendations.
01:42With this analyzer, we can now deliver tailor-bred nutrition management advice, forming the foundation
01:51for improved soil health and crop productivity.
01:55Additionally, we set to acquire EMAX machines to measure cadmium levels in cocoa beans and
02:04soil.
02:05The Minister was speaking at an MOU signing between Trinjan, Yara Trinidad Ltd and the
02:11University of the Western D's, which will see the parties working together on sustainable
02:16soil management.
02:18We have to find a way to be able to produce more food with less land.
02:27This is one of the starting points within tropical environments for that solution.
02:37So the intention is not to only have this for Trinidad and Tobago, but to allow this
02:44to expand into the wider Caricom community and also across the tropical belt.
02:51Renassa Cutting, TV6 News.
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