Thousands of dollars worth in crops are going to waste as scores of Maloney farmers claim they are unable get their produce purchased on the local market. The farmers, led by president of the Maloney Foodcrop Farmers' Association, Nawaz Karim, pleaded for Food Production Minister Devant Maharaj to intervene, stating that one by one they were going out of business due to declining sales, high cost of inputs, lack of marketing and an influx of importers.
The association has 100 farmers who plant on 325 acres of land. Karim said that too many food importers were monopolising the wholesale market and edging out local farmers who should be given first preference to sell their produce. Joined by president of the Agricultural Society of T&T, Dhano Sookoo, Karim pointed to his eight acres of mature paw paw which was now going to waste.
"I invested $200,000 and all I sold was $60,000. I can't get any buyers because these importers licking me up. I am not the only one," Karim complained. Sookoo said several supermarkets have their own import agency which was killing the farming population. She also slammed NAMDEVCO for failing to help farmers get their produce off their hands.
"Government after government have failed to establish a local procurement policy to mandate restaurants, supermarkets and hotels to form an alliance with the farmers," Sookoo said. Nearby, Sookoo showed several plots containing cabbages, tomatoes and hot peppers that were abandoned by frustrated farmers who have moved on to new pursuits. Some of the produce lay next to the crop, while others have rotted away.
Karim said the importers had a habit of selling their produce below the farmers' offering price. Tears flowed from the eyes of ageing farmer Manoo Sookdeo yesterday as he watched three acres of full-grown sweet peppers rot away. Sookdeo pointed to several boxes of harvested sweet peppers on the ground which he could not sell. "I didn't harvest in time because of no sale. I just feel like giving up."
Minister at a loss...promises to meet farmers
Maharaj promised to meet with the farmers tomorrow to address the situation, insisting that it was his objective to reduce rising food inflation and the food import bill. Maharaj said he was at a loss, since a director of the School Feeding Programme told him that they were having difficulty sourcing local produce. "They have a list of commodities that they need. I think there is a disconnect between what we produce and who want to use it."
Maharaj said NAMDEVCO over the years was emasculated. "I have asked them (NAMDEVCO) to take back their position and to aggressively focus on marketing to help the farmers."