Agriculture Minister and Director visited Trinidad Agriculture Expo by Carol-Faye Bynoe-George
Minister Anthony Smith and Director Gregory Bailey both went to Trinidad to get a first-hand experience of the TT Agri – Expo. The 2024 theme was “Farm to Table: Revolutionizing the local food supply chain” and the event was held during August 16-18 at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.
After the TT Agri-Investment Forum and Expo II was held in August, 2022 and the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GoTT) agreed that continued engagements with key stakeholders across the agriculture sector were crucial in achieving food and nutrition security. The 2024 expo was aligned to the TT Government’s policy on strengthening their agriculture sector and reducing its reliance on imported foods, especially highly processed foods.
Both Minister Smith and Director Bailey accepted the invitation as an observatory expedition with hopes of more inclusive participation in and creation of future activities of a similar nature.
Being newly appointed as Minister of Agriculture and relatively new to the sector, Minister Smith is displaying a yearning to learn all the intricacies in as little time possible. “The excursion and event were indeed an eye-opener and in all estimations one definitely worth duplicating within the Antigua and Barbuda context”, Minister Smith commented.
The Director was intrigued by the diversification of the expo which not limited to the display of fresh produce, livestock and traditional processed goods, but by the wide variety of mechanization, innovative and attractive agro-processed and added value products. To include, the assortment of flours made from post-harvest produce such as sweet potato, the wide range of dehydrated and ready to use instant nutritional products, which only require to addition of water. “The pigeon pea stall was particularly impressive and displayed innovative products made largely from this highly nutritious tropical legume”. Some of these products include ice creams, wine and liqueurs, milks, composite flours and composite drinks. Additionally, it was noticeable that the quality of food labels used were very impressive. Additionally, the dehydration technology and techniques applied to raw locally produce holds significant promise as it relates to the expansion and diversification of agri-businesses and increase in food and nutrition security with respect to its capability to extend produce shelf life, while combatting the occurrence of NDCs among our people, which is largely due to the excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods, traditionally preserved with copious amounts of salt and or sugar and artificial colors and preservatives.
“The things that really impressed me were (1) the quality of their labeling (2) the dehydration techniques from that they produced powered pumpkin, corn and callaloo which once added to hot water made very tasty soups (3) and the post harvesting procedures such as the many different types of flours that were made from raw produce”, explained Mr. Bailey.
Although crop production is the foundation of the sector modern technology the advancement of the science has afforded us another dimension of food and nutrition security, import substitution and creation of jobs. The Director reiterated that the visit was worthwhile and indeed an “Eye-opener”.
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