Land for pepper farmers

“This is where the government should invest.

We have land sitting all over doing nothing.” According to Ramjit, Tikki Ali, another Gasparillo businessman signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Regional Corporation and donated ten acres of land to the initiative.

Ali has also committed to purchase the necessary infrastructure for the project. The idea, which is part of the Corporation’s general plan for local economic development, is to allow ten farmers to grow hot peppers on the ten acres of land, some of which would be exported as hot peppers, and the rest would be processed into a powder, also to be exported.

Ramjit said that Ali agreed to open up the land for sale to the farmers after the project kicks off. Ali, asked why he invested in the idea, said it was “to help the youths and get people employed.” Ramjit was reluctant to share the name of the company that has agreed to buy these hot peppers, but he said that they were given a February deadline.

“The company buys the peppers in large quantities at different times of the year. February is one of those times so we have to act quickly.” Sharma Lalla, CEO of Caroni Greens Ltd, also present at the meeting, said that knowing the international market and its requirements for trade is one of the challenges local farmers have to meet. He offered his company’s technical support to Ramjit to ensure the success of the venture. Caroni Greens Ltd has been growing and selling hot peppers in Canada, North America and the United Kingdom over the last year, earning upwards of US$20,000 per week, and Lalla believes that it could become a multi-million dollar company. But Lalla has not been greedy with the business. “We have been sharing our experience with local farmers so they too can participate in this venture and become more financially sustainable.”