Government has not ruled out revitalising the sugarcane industry in Trinidad and Tobago, Food production, land and marine affairs Minister Vasant Bharath has said. Bharath said that each crop, such as sugarcane, that has added value to T&T would be given consideration for cultivation. "It (sugarcane) has a lot of uses. In many parts of the world, they use it as a form of energy. It is certainly not something that we have disregarded," Bharath said. Bharath was interviewed before Friday's launch of the annual Sugar and Energy Festival at Gilbert Park in California.
He was responding to questions about renaming the festival since T&T no longer has a local sugar industry. "That is a question better posed to the Couva Point Lisas Chamber, who is resuscitating it," Bharath said. "This is a festival that has been around for 14 years. I think it does a great service to a lot of children around here. There are a lot of booths. As you know, this year, the theme is on agriculture and that is why I am here. But I think it is great." Bharath said he had conducted studies on the uses of the sugarcane for purposes other than food production.
"Many, many years ago, you may not know this, I was looking at the possibility, when I was in the private sector, at using bagasse for baby diapers because of its material," he said. He said he would not shoot down requests for giving consideration to re-opening the sugar industry. "I have said to many who have lobbied me that any crop, agricultural crop, that makes sense, whether it is for growing food or whether it is for adding value in other ways, if we feel it can add value in terms of bagasse imports, wood to make houses, (we would consider it)," Bharath said.
