Message to incoming prime minister: Vision, leadership needed for agriculture

DR OMARDATH MAHARAJ

UNFORTUNATELY for us, the short and hasty general election campaign was relatively silent on vision and policies for our food, agriculture, fisheries, and rural sectors, except for a hardline position offered by Kamla Persad-Bissessar. I was eager to receive an account of a decade of Dr Keith Rowley’s handling of these sectors, but it was perhaps pre-empted by other platform priorities.

Any decision and action that lends inclusive and sustainable development of our food and agriculture sector is welcomed, including consideration for issues affecting the livelihoods of our fisherfolk. The UNC proposed to establish a special agricultural court as a supporting measure to address praedial larceny. Hard commitment to addressing the perennial issues confronting the sector is overdue.

This is a long-overdue measure that recognises the real and persistent threat that theft poses to agribusiness investment, farmers’ livelihoods, and national food security. For years I have consistently called for stronger institutional responses to praedial larceny through my advocacy, community outreach, and public education initiatives.

I’ve worked alongside the National 4-H Council, Tableland Pineapple Farmers Association, Felicity/Charlieville Fishing Association, other representative groups, and youth in agriculture networks to highlight the impact of this crime on small and large farmers alike, and its threat to our agri-food system.

Moreover, the intention to improve land access and streamline agricultural incentives is also welcome. I’ve championed these very reforms through stakeholder consultations and policy discussions, calling for a more inclusive and transparent system that supports both new and experienced farmers. Access to land and timely incentives are not just administrative issues, but key enablers for food production, generational renewal in agriculture, and economic development.

This plan, if implemented, can lead to greater accountability, and has the potential to build greater confidence in the agricultural sector.

It is my respectful view that the incoming prime minister, at this stage of our development history and current socio-economic outlook, must ensure that their appointees and experts are ready to discuss rapid and strategic interventions, and implement approaches which can be sustained with respect to food, agriculture, and rural development in this country.

Over a decade ago I made the call for a ministry of rural development. Yet, aside from a name change, the government has not pursued and established a rural development policy that is focused not on urbanisation, but is committed to meeting the challenges faced by our rural and coastal areas, while, importantly, unlocking their potential.

Some activities flowing to these communities, while needed, appear to be disconnected and unco-ordinated from the wider support ecosystem which minimises their impact and relevance to the beneficiaries.

This ministry and the rural development vision described by Rowley since 2012 in Basse Terre, Moruga and on the 2015 campaign trail has not materialised.

Mayaro, Moruga/Tableland, Toco/Sangre Grande, La Horquetta/Talparo, Point Fortin, La Brea, to list a few, continue to suffer by being at the end of our travel infrastructure, far removed from institutional support and resourcing despite their potential and role in contributing to the national economy. The economic fortunes of rural and coastal communities are pegged, in the most part, to agriculture, fisheries and tourism.

I always call for inclusive policy planning and action in TT.

Though not privy to governments' decision-making processes, it remains that more must be done for agricultural and coastal communities, but it can only start through greater consultation, collaboration, and co-ordination.

This would have allowed us to explore the relatively limited livelihood portfolio available to those of us who are at-risk or vulnerable, dissect and plan strategic interventions to deal with the perennial issues which confront the sector long before the covid19 pandemic and until now with a changing geopolitical ecosystem and constrained economy, plan a local supply chain for food processing and manufacturing without compromising food available for direct human consumption, among other policy goals.

Unfortunately, the data show that we remain hard-pressed to report an expansion in food production at a national level over the last ten years, much less for any permanent and strategic displacement of import dependency, though some efforts were started with rice.

Food imports must be understood in relation to essential products which simply cannot be produced locally, significant intermediary products and concentrates which service the local manufacturing sector and do create thousands of jobs in the value chain, food and beverages for the “high-end” consumer and restaurant market, and the influx of primary agricultural commodities and products that directly compete with local farmers, fishers, and entrepreneurs.

The latter being the most discouraging to local farmers.

Managing the country’s food supply is not an easy task, but in this vein the food production sector continues to be misunderstood and suffers from a history of underinvestment and failed policy. Policy includes identifying strategic programmes and projects aligned to measurable outcomes and the required financial, human, and technical resources.

Our private and voluntary breadfruit trees project has freely distributed over 12,000 plants to, for example, schools, places of worship, and families across TT who appreciate its value and vision. We need solid and tangible interventions.

What we first have to get from the incoming prime minister is the accountability mechanisms in agriculture and other portfolios. The population has to appreciate how the experts and appointees across ministries, affiliated state agencies, and other technical and co-ordinating bodies are responding in the face of our current socio-economic situation and rapidly changing global outlook for an import-dependent nation.

This would help to mitigate any possible fallout and ensure food and nutrition security for our people while addressing the perennial issues of the sector – including flooding, giant African snail invasions, praedial larceny, food loss, random quality testing, market development, field sanitation, land tenure, strategic incentives, among others.

Politicians should first be presenting proposals of national interest going forward since they are now maintained more painfully at taxpayers’ expense.

A ministry and state enterprise agencies with a related mandate for food and agriculture must then be called to order. At the first sign of lack of capacity or capability, public confidence will be damaged simply because – in my view – food now has the highest priority among our basic needs, especially for the vulnerable among us.

These multidimensional issues need vision and leadership.

There must be a fundamental shift in the sector’s priority, raising it on the national development agenda which is to be supported by an overarching national policy framework for sustainable agriculture and rural development. Unfortunately, in the absence of such a policy framework and mandate, the population is unable to gauge the strength of a government's intention.

The luxury of planning may be slipping.

We must be mindful of the history of neglect of this sector overall and appreciate that it will become increasingly difficult to do things in a recession or sluggish economy, which should have been planned and implemented in better economic times with greater fiscal space. Organising and co-ordinating the actions of fragmented stakeholders will also compound the issues if the laissez-faire approach prolongs.

I remain ready to contribute and continue working with all stakeholders to ensure these measures are effective, inclusive, and grounded in the realities our agriculture stakeholders face every day.

Dr Omardath Maharaj is an agricultural economist