Farmers in Central Trinidad say the Government's bounty on the Giant African Snail (GAS) may just be an exercise in futility.
Farmers said the $5 price per kilogram is not an incentive to collect snails because of the rising cost of fuel and food.
Debideen Manick, president of the Felicity Food Crop Farmers Association, told Guardian Media that the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries failed to consult with farmers before the programme was implemented.
"I am very disappointed with the offer made by the government to offer $5 per kilo of the GAS," Manick said.
Debideen Manick- President of the Felicity Food Crop Farmers Association, Debideen Manick, speaks with Guardian Media at Felicity on Friday 13 January 2023. [Image by SHASTRI BOODAN]
“At $5 per kilo, it is very difficult to harvest these snails. These are nocturnal animals so people have to be out at nights or early in the morning to catch these snails and you have to take them to the collection point. This is highly unfeasible, and a better offer should be made if the government is serious," he stated.
Chaconia Gold Medal recipient for Agriculture, Ramdeo Boondoo, who heads the Edinburgh Food Crop Farmers Association and the Root and Tuber Producers Association, pointed out that snail collection would be a challenge to farmers operating on large acreages.
Boondoo said the government should have subsidized the cost of chemicals to eradicate snails for a three-month period.
According to Boondoo, the Barbados model of sail eradication would not work in T&T because both countries share a different culture. "
Chaconia Gold Medal recipient for Agriculture, Ramdeo Boondoo, speaks with Guardian Media on Friday, at his Palmiste operations. Boondoo also heads the Edinburgh Food Crop Farmers Association and the Root and Tuber Producers Association. [Image by SHASTRI BOODAN]
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“A lot of Trinidad people don't care about the snail. I catch a guy taking snails from by him and throwing in my place,” he said. “We supposed to meet with the stakeholders and come up with a policy."
He added: "We need an integrated approach to get the sails out from hiding. We need chemicals and bait. I had proposed to the minister to subsidise the bait for three months."
Boondoo said he also proposed using bags with baits to collect snails from households and the Ministry would have also gathered data on infestation.