Rice Production in Trinidad and Tobago hits rock bottom, sparks concern

Trinidad and Tobago is left with only 15 trained rice cultivators, which is a major concern for the island nation.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley addressed the issue earlier this month and announced that the largest Indian-based agricultural company, Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd is planning to establish a rice mill in the country.

The establishment of this mill in Trinidad and Tobago is anticipated to bring a huge impact on the overall agriculture sector.

PM Rowley noted that members of HAFED discussed their plans to establish the new mill following their visit to India.

He further said that the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries along with the National Flour Mill (NFM) will visit Haryana in order to tour HAFED’s facilities. PM highlighted this initiative as an opportunity to improve the current situation of rice farmers in the country.

Notably, Trinidad and Tobago which once had more than 6000 rice farmers in 90s is now facing its lowest phase in rice production. The National Flour Mills (NFM) announced that only 15 rice farmers are left in the country.

According to NFM,  the island nation once produced 21,200 metric tonnes of rice in 1992 as compared toa mere 582 metric tonnes of rice produced in 2018.

However, this huge decline is a result of several other factors including payment delays, climate change, rising fertilizer prices, high production costs, low yields, and the unavailability of seeds.

The country with their low yields is now dependent on Guyana, USA, Suriname, and India for rice imports. In 2022, the country imported 37,000 tonnes of rice for $177.1 million.

Although the government is hopeful for a change in rice cultivation in the country with HAFED, local farmers stay skeptical of this decision. One of the farmers, Fazal Akaloo questioned the productivity of the mill due to a drop in rice production in the nation.

It was also reported thatHAFED will invest to upgrade the NFM’s 35-year-old mill in Carlsen Field to start production of parboiled rice which is the majorly consumed variety in the region.

HAFED is one of the largest APEX cooperatives in Haryana, one of the major food producing state in India. The company processes 2.2 millions of commodities every year and has a US$1.6 Billion annual turnover.

Apart from this, the Trinidadian government has also put in several other efforts to revive the farming industry in the country as the Ministry of Agriculture last year injected $5 million for the rehabilitation of the industry which resulted in a surge from 5 to 15 farmers.

As Trinidad and Tobago struggles with their sharp decline in rice farming, HAFED’s collaboration with the government seems to be rewarding. The success of this initiative will significantly reduce the stress of imports and will create significant employment for farmers across the Twin Island nation.