Catastrophic failure to feed ourselves

THE EDITOR: His Excellency, President George Maxwell Richards, should be highly commended for arousing the national interest in the urgent need for growing more food. Recently, he went a step further when he deviated from his official agenda to draw attention to the farming community at the handing over ceremony of the Rotary Club of Penal at Paria Suites, La Romaine. We all know that food production needs a boost because the country has to import too much to meet demands. Nations of the world, big and small, know the need to become self-sufficient in this life-saving necessity. Many nations have done their best to develop vigorous methods and policies to ameliorate adverse circumstances. Locally-grown food is seriously inadequate to meet our needs. One just needs to go to the vegetable market to be shocked by the exorbitant prices of various staple items.

Yam is retailing at $3 per pound, cassava at $2, eddoes at $4, tannia at $4, dasheen at $3 and sweet potato at $2. Housewives are finding it difficult to make ends meet and are opting for Irish potatoes at $1 per pound. It must be noted that this item needs to be imported into the country. What is happening in our country is catastrophic. We are a tropical island with abundant rainfall and sunlight — ours is a climate that is ideal for agriculture. We have idle lands in every county with generally good access roads. Our fertile lands are very badly underutilised. Let us hope that the suggestions from our President do not fall on deaf ears. Some years ago, when unemployment was becoming rampant, I seriously recommended that our salvation rests with agriculture.

I had drawn attention to the cultivation of cassava, a vegetable that is very easy to grow and will thrive in any soil. Throughout the South American continent, cassava is a staple food. The tubers are processed and powdered into a flour which is generally mixed with wheat to form a very palatable bread. Cassava could be grown in large quantities and milled into powder. Entrepreneurs could be invited to develop and process cassava into flour for household use. It could become a delicacy for human victuals. It is my hope and prayer that our President will always possess the vision and leadership necessary to guide our citizens to peaceful pinnacles.

SALER AMEERALI
Chaguanas