THA provides support for farmers

Secretary of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries Hayden Spencer at a press conference last week. PHOTO COURTESY THA  -
Secretary of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries Hayden Spencer at a press conference last week. PHOTO COURTESY THA -

KINNESHA GEORGE-HARRY

The THA Division of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries (DFPFF) has come up with a plan to increase food production amidst the covid19 pandemic, according to Secretary of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries Hayden Spencer. At Wednesday’s post Executive Council media briefing, Spencer said in response to the adverse effect of the pandemic on the agricultural sector, the division, in its effort to maintain food security, has designed a plan to heighten food production.

The division will be supplying planting materials and livestock, as well as financial incentives.

“Through the Louis D’or nurseries, the division would have distributed a total of 33,600 vegetable seedlings to approximately 1,500 persons on the island. We have staged three seedling distribution exercises on a monthly basis from June 2020, where home gardeners and other interesting persons accessed free, quality seedlings. Among the crops propagated for distribution were tomatoes, sweet peppers, lettuce, patchoi, celery, parsley, melongene, broccoli, cauliflower and bodi,” he said adding that a total of 248 home gardening start-up kits were also distributed, comprising cucumbers, bodi, corn, beet, root seeds, vegetable seedlings, cassava sticks and plantain suckers.

“The division continues on its drive towards achieving food security for Tobago and has recognised the urgent need for the heightening of our food production levels during this uncertain period.

“We hereby encourage new and existing crop and livestock farmers and home gardeners to access the support provided by the Tobago House of Assembly through the Division of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries,” he said.

Spencer added that the THA Executive Council covid19 committee, through the Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the divisions of Food Production, Forestry and Fisheries and Finance and the Economy is supporting Tobago’s food producers and processors during this difficult time.

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