(Trinidad Guardian) At least 80 per cent of the goods on the shelves of our supermarkets are imported. And this has contributed to the rise in our country’s food import bill from TT$2 billion in 2006 to a staggering TT$4 billion. Food Production Minister Vasant Bharath plans to reduce this figure by half in 2015. The task is daunting but Bharath said it has to be done if we want to see cheaper food prices, a reduction in food inflation, obtain food security and a slash in our growing food import bill.
On Monday, Bharath unveiled a National Food Production Action Plan a growing concern and 2012- 2015 in Chaguaramas. Bharath said there was an alarm by Governments concerning food security, rising food prices, food price volatility, declining production levels due to climate change, rising demand because of economic and population growth in developing countries and pressure on food supplies due to the increased demand for biofuels.
The increase in global food prices has the potential to adversely impact local inflation, Bharath said, due to our large food import bill which in 2010 amounted to 10.6 per cent of total imports.
A tight rope
Bharath said T&T was on a tight rope as far as food security is The Action Plan—which is premised on the pursuit of concerned. increasing the country’s food security—has targeted the ramping up of production of staples, vegetables, legumes and pulses, fruits, livestock and aquaculture. An increase in rice, cassava, sweet potatoes, dasheen eddoes and breadfruit are also on the cards.
