Member of Parliament for Couva North, Mr. Ravi Ratiram is again calling upon the government to address the urgent concerns facing our farmers.
This call comes in light of the upcoming Agri Expo scheduled for August 16th-18th 2024.
MP Ratiram stated, “While events like the Agri Expo are touted as beneficial, we must ask ourselves: where are the tangible benefits for our hardworking farmers?”
In the Parliamentary sitting on Friday 14th June 2024, MP Ravi Ratiram posed the following question to the Prime Minister, “Considering the Prime Minister’s emphasis on the importance of the Agri Expo in 2022 and its role in fostering regional collaboration for food security, will the Prime Minister provide insight into the reasons behind the postponement of the 2023 Agri Expo?”
MP Ratiram however highlighted that the Prime Minister’s response to the question lacked substantive detail. In addition to this, the MP for Couva North posed a supplemental question to the PM asking “Taking into consideration the $9 million or so that was invested into the hosting of this event, can you advise us if this event has increased our agriculture contribution to GDP from then to now?”
However, MP Ravi Ratiram expressed disappointment in the Prime Minister’s response, stating, “In his usual style, the Prime Minister did not directly address the inquiry or provide concrete evidence of the real benefits to farmers, improvements in national food security, or reductions in our food import expenditures from the last Agri Expo. Despite costing taxpayers $9 million, no tangible benefits for Agri Expo 2022 were given!”
He said farmers across our nation continue to face serious challenges.
‘They are not only grappling with the daily hardships of their profession but also with severe issues such as robbery and murder. The lack of adequate incentives, including the absence of a revised rebate for fisherfolk, adds insult to injury. Moreover, the inefficiency of the Praedial Larceny Squad exacerbates the situation, leaving farmers vulnerable to theft and losses.
Furthermore, MP Ratiram highlighted the challenges that farmers face accessing their lands due to poor agricultural access roads. He noted, “The agricultural community is struggling to survive, facing losses from flooding and poor access to their crops. I’ve been pleading with the Government to fix our agricultural access roads to provide relief to our farmers. Year after year, promises are made, but nothing changes!”.
MP Ravi Ratiram calls upon the government to prioritize fixing these fundamental issues within the agricultural sector before allocating millions for what appears to be a public relations stunt. He asserts, “Our farmers deserve concrete support and solutions that directly address their challenges and improve their livelihoods, not PR stunts.”
MP Ratiram emphasizes the critical need for immediate action on behalf of our farmers. As the Agri Expo approaches, he challenges the government, if they are serious about food security, to deliver more than just rhetoric, underscoring that tangible improvements are urgently required to alleviate the hardships faced by those who sustain our nation through agriculture.