Brace for hike in food prices

[scrunter]

I was a bit taken aback yesterday when junior finance minister Christine Sahadeo announced at the manifesto launching that cheap food prices are a thing of the past.Well ah guess she would know that de dollar would be devalued to make up the shortfall with all this free spending at the expense of our food bill since we are importing most of our food.Dis ting frightning for true yes.

[nobellium]

Some people schupid too bad...ah wonder if that formed part of the PNM manifesto?

[cm103]

So the PNM creates the problem with high food prices by their economic policies and now they want to put it in their manifesto to deal with it?

Why not look at proactive policies instead of reactive? That would probably make too much sense to them.

[Somebody007]

Food prices are hiking in alot of countries. The only way to combat this problem of high food prices is to plant/manufacture our own food and rely much less on imports. The majority of our food is imported from all over the world. Take for example, Trinidad and Tobago has a self sufficiency rate of less than 1% for mutton and goat meat, while the next 99% of this meat is imported from New Zealand and Australia. Likewise, we are about 80% self sufficent in pork but you have private firms in Trinidad importing pork meat from the USA. We have almost a 100% self sufficiency in coconuts yet we still importing coconuts to get the chopra to make coconut oil....coconuts in Trinidad are currently being plagued by disease.

We have a 100% self sufficiency in poultry meat but we still importing chicken eggs for hatching purposes. The list goes on and on but 99% of the things you buy in a Trini grocery is imported from somewhere.

The value of the American US dollar is dropping and hence there are rising prices taking place over there. If we continue to import from them, then the cost of these things will continue to rise further.

[perkelv]

So the PNM creates the problem with high food prices by their economic policies and now they want to put it in their manifesto to deal with it?

Why not look at proactive policies instead of reactive? That would probably make too much sense to them.

Could you please highlight what specific govt. economic policies _CREATE_ high food prices? Are these policies significant in relation to what is happening with global food prices?

It is really nauseating when people repeatedly make exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims over and over. This is the sort of rubbish that passes for discourse throughout the length and bradth of T&T. The funny thing is that many of the posters live abroad where the level of analysis among the average populace is of a much higher standard in terms of rigour when addressing issues. Yet they come on here and echo
slogans, hearsay and bachanal talk.

The govt talks about large scale farms and people find a reason to bellyache about that proposal. (Nowhere have i heard that small farms will be discouraged or wiped out, but people saying why create large mechanised farms and leave the small farmer to starve!) If the govt proposed policy was one that had ignored larger mechanised farms, there'd be a hue and cry about how we're backward and dotish, how all over the world that's how things are done.

Can anyone at least TRY to be objective once in awhile??!! :evil: :evil:

[Maccogirl]

Where the hell they putting these large scale farm when they building one set of house on good farming land, or giving some idiots good land to build a racing track for motor sports. Good land gone for golf course and high rise condos, the close down a entire orange industry, and farming industry for nonsense to do what??

PNM just preparing you for the high cost of living so they will say we did warn you, the fact of the matter is just like crime they have no idea how to solve the problem.

[cm103]

So the PNM creates the problem with high food prices by their economic policies and now they want to put it in their manifesto to deal with it?

Why not look at proactive policies instead of reactive? That would probably make too much sense to them.

Could you please highlight what specific govt. economic policies _CREATE_ high food prices? Are these policies significant in relation to what is happening with global food prices?

It is really nauseating when people repeatedly make exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims over and over. This is the sort of rubbish that passes for discourse throughout the length and bradth of T&T. The funny thing is that many of the posters live abroad where the level of analysis among the average populace is of a much higher standard in terms of rigour when addressing issues. Yet they come on here and echo
slogans, hearsay and bachanal talk.

The govt talks about large scale farms and people find a reason to bellyache about that proposal. (Nowhere have i heard that small farms will be discouraged or wiped out, but people saying why create large mechanised farms and leave the small farmer to starve!) If the govt proposed policy was one that had ignored larger mechanised farms, there'd be a hue and cry about how we're backward and dotish, how all over the world that's how things are done.

Can anyone at least TRY to be objective once in awhile??!! :evil: :evil:

Have global food prices risen over 100% since 2001? Everywhere I have been I haven't seen that, only in Trinidad. How about the economic policy on curbing inflation?

What happened to parceling out Caroni lands to farmers? I still passing all them former canefields full of razor grass on the highway. Christine Sahadeo say on the news how many years ago that land was going for who again? Another broken promise.

Large scale farms you say? Well what about encouraging the small farmer right now? You know how many former Caroni workers went home after 20+ years with checks for less than $100? How that supposed to help them get started with their own? The plan for the large scale farms will end up like the plan for the Deigo Martin swimming pool. In an empty lot full of weeds and we will be none the wiser.

You ever hear about demand and supply? Raise minimum wage and pay people more, things cost more to make and that cost is passed down to the consumer. That's a very basic way of putting it but you get the picture.

Your PNM government only studying to build a set of white elephants. When the next recession hits then they will fall into dilapidation as the country will not be able to bear the upkeep.

[cm103]

Where the hell they putting these large scale farm when they building one set of house on good farming land, or giving some idiots good land to build a racing track for motor sports. Good land gone for golf course and high rise condos, the close down a entire orange industry, and farming industry for nonsense to do what??

PNM just preparing you for the high cost of living so they will say we did warn you, the fact of the matter is just like crime they have no idea how to solve the problem.

For once we agree on something. The PNM policy on former agricultural lands is that it should grow grass until they ready to give they partners contracts to build house for voter padding.

Every time I hear about a new state run venture I does get a headache. The only thing that brings these days are commissions of inquiry.

[perkelv]

At least we're getting somewher ... trying to look at the issue .. albeit (in my case) in the absence of all the facts and possibly (in the case of others) trying to see problems rather than solutions.
so let me see if i understand what cm and macco are saying.

There is the issue of parcels of land for the (small?) farmers who are mainly ex-Caroni. While i've heard that a number of farmers didn't getnparcels of land, i've also heard from the PNM side that a very high number of people did. I think we all agree that the PNMs weakest area is speed of implementation and that it is only a matter of time before the remaining workers get their plots. (I believe i read in the paper recently, that the delay is in providing proper infrastructure along with the plots of land)

But to me the bigger issue with the Caroni lands and agriculture is: How many who got lands have begun to use them productively to boost agriculture? How many will?
I may be wrong but isn't a big issue that the younger Indo-Trini who 30 yearss ago would have gone into agriculture now has far more attractive and lucrative career options? So the vocal few, older, folks who want to stay on the land may have minimal impact in relation to making a dent on agri-output?

On the other issue raised insofar as agri lands being used for other things, I'm not aware of most of teh facts except for what i occasionally hear on newsclips. But i don't think that construction and agriculture are mutually exclusive. Are you all saying, by way of example, that if there were 2Million acres of arable land on an island of 2.8Million acres in total that the construction should only happe on the 0.8Million acres and leave all the rest for agriculture? Somehow i doubt that's practical. BTW one of the areas announced as earmarked for the large farms is the orange grove region which is excellent agricultural land.

[Maccogirl]

I don't know the real issue as to why they have not started farming the lands that they were given I think some said there are no access roads and some plots are too small to even think of growing anything that is profitable, I really don't know what is the issue in that respect.

[Solachica]

Every month we go in the grocery there is a price increase so we been bracing a long time now.

[sam48]

I have read experts who claim that parcels of land less than five acres cannot sustain any kind of agriculture.
I believe the PNM knows this, but they have to deal with the PNM base who though not interested in agriculture of any kind ( most of them will not plant even a hot pepper tree in a plant pot for therapy) will threaten violence, claiming that the land is being given to Indians.
Asolution to this would be to lease the land to the farmers onthe condition that not more than one dwelling house be built in an approved location and that it must be used fo agricultural purposes to begin within a specified time frame and the lease will be withdrawn if it is used for any other purpose. The govt should also actively supervise and subsidise these farms to ensure that the farmers who will be producing food for the nation are encouraged and not left to starve when faced with the vagaries that bedevil agriculture. Labour for these farms can be subsidised when needed instead of CEPEP and URP etc.
The PNM's problem has been that its mostly Indo Trinis who are presently or will be engaged in agriculture and are fearful of the backlash from their Base.

[scrunter]

I know lands were given out in the carapichaima/waterloo area and some people did plant the land...right now one is selling sweet potatoes that he is reaping from the land.However the crop yield is not that good.I was told by not only him but by others who got the land that the plots that are earmark for housing are the fertile land and the ones given out for agri is the a lot less fertile.So one wonders if those in authority really wants this project to succeed because they know the land

[Solachica]

I also see people planting the land tht they were given and whtever they plant not growing and producing well.
Most of the lands arent for agriculture tht was given out. Sugar cane killed it.
Many people saying tht land tht the houses building on is the fertile lands but tht not really true to.
If you look at the soil classification map in Trinidad you wud see tht.