The Theme of World Food Day 2017 ‘Change the future of migration. Invest in food security and rural development,’ should resonate strongly in light of current regional and national developments . This is an opportunity that called for collaborative intent at the institutional level and nation building. For this effort the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Exporters, representatives of our Export Support Network and partner agencies including Cariri and TTMA, joined hands.

Mr. Norris Herbert, speaking on behalf of Minister Gopee Scoon, alerted attendees to initiatives currently underway to increase export capacity, through an alliance with the Ministry of Agriculture Land and Fisheries to improve the infrastructure for food production starting with the Moruga Agro-Processing and Light Industrial Park. This would see growth and expansion in the processing and manufacture of products including the preservation of meats, fish, fruit and vegetables, bakery products, pasta products, confectionary and starch products; beverages, wine and the blending of spirits and more.

It is certainly true as exporTT Chairman Ashmeer Mohammed lamented, “The reality facing us in T&T is that our current path of unrestrained external consumption and undersubscription and development of our own is unsustainable.” even as our Food and Beverage sector, manufacturers of many diversified commodities, represent 58% and growing…. the largest proportion of non-energy manufactured goods in Trinidad and Tobago.

In similar vein, Sharon Peart- Rose, Food Technologist at Cariri focused on the sustainability of food production for local consumption,  acknowledged that Food Security is now a global watchword owing to the worldwide national mandates to mobilize their productive resources towards feeding themselves and creating sustainable sources of nutrition for their population; a move that we in Trinidad and Tobago are close to embracing as we consider particularly poignant in the challenging economic times that we are currently facing.

We were pleased to welcome the Minister for the second half of the agenda along with our specially invited guests to sample some of the quality products provided by our local exporters.

While visiting sampling exporter offerings, Minister of Trade and Industry, Paula Gopee Scoon, Permanent Secretary Norris Herbert and exporTT Chairman Ashmeer Mohamed chat with Ashley Parasram of Trinidad and Tobago Fine Cocoa Company .