Farmers to produce vegetables, provisions for Sandals

Tobago’s farmers are ahead with preparations on producing vegetables, fruits and provisions to supply to proposed Sandals resort.

So said Food Production Secretary Hayden Spencer, speaking at Wednesday’s post Executive Council media briefing at the Administrative Complex in Calder Hall.

Spencer said the Division was reporting improvement in the agriculture sector.

“What we advised the farmers to do is to form themselves into cluster farming (groups). If I have five acres and four other farmers have five acres and we decide to plant one commodity, that is 20 acres and that is the training we are focussed on. “Individually, we will not be able to supply the market but (it can be done) if farmers cluster themselves, collaborate and produce at a larger scale.”

Spencer also training programmes geared toward bringing farmers to international standards have begun and that “by the time Sandals get here, the farmers will be in that state of readiness… our task is upgrading them in using modern technology to maximise the use of their space.”

Spencer also reported that through a recent partnership between the Division and the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme ( (CEPEP) and Unemployment Relief Programme (URP), several training programmes were conducted in crop production, livestock rearing, agro-processing and value chain development, as part of Tobago’s agriculture revitalisation plan.

He said the outcome of this has been an increase in production of goats, sheep and rabbits.

He also reported that to help the farmers prepare to supply Sandals, the Agriculture Development Bank (ADB) has chosen Tobago fas the first district where farmers would benefit from new loans for the purchase of new vehicles, and fishing package for purchasing new equipment as well as youth loans and loans disaster relief assistance.

He said a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between ADB and the Division and a committee set up to encourage and drive the programme for easy financing.

Spencer said the ADB has also indicated an interest in facilitating farmers to enter into financial arrangement to do surveys of their properties.

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