India donates 19,000kgs of rice to Trinidad and Tobago

HOURS after 100 tonnes of Guyana-sourced rice seeds were distributed to farmers, the Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Ministry has received 19,000 kilos of rice and 12,500 litres of edible oils from India to be distributed to vulnerable families nationwide.

Sourced from the Haryana State Co-operative Supply & Marketing Federation Ltd (HAFED), the donation comes after a business delegation led by then HAFED chairman Kailash Bhagat came to Trinidad and Tobago in June 2024.

At the handover ceremony at the ministry’s head office on May 21, Agriculture Minister Ravi Ratiram welcomed the donation, saying the ministry would embark on a collaborative strategy to ensure the products were distributed to families experiencing significant food insecurity.

“Some families do not know where their next meal is coming from and that’s the sad reality. That is a situation that we have inherited but it is something that we are not just going to complain about, it is something that we are going to work towards improving.”

He also recognised the donation as a means of reaffirming a strong bilateral relationship between India and TT.

“As we prepare to commemorate Indian Arrival Day, we honour the continuation of that journey in our diverse, multi-ethnic, multicultural nation.”

High Commissioner of India to TT Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit said the donation was a continuation of HAFED’s efforts in supporting consumers and farmers across the world by providing high-quality products as well as agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, insecticides, pesticides and seeds.

“There is an immense potential for value addition and processing of many commodities in TT, which would help in reducing imports and generating local employment.

“There is also immense potential for bilateral collaboration in the food processing sector especially with mangoes, pineapples and other commodities which have massive cultivation and production potential in this part of the world.”

He highlighted India’s continued support of these initiatives with the upcoming donation of agro-processing machinery valued at US$ 1 million by Nabard Consultancy Services Ltd, which is expected to arrive in June.

“...We encourage the people of TT to get into advanced cultivation, using advanced seeds of genetically superior qualities similar to India’s green revolution, the replication of that kind of cultivation being the goal.”