A FOOD terminal market was launched between Trinidad and Tobago and St Vincent and the Grenadines to improve distribution, promote technical exchanges, and increase exports of local produce.
Saboto Caesar, Minister of Agriculture, told The Express Business that now is the time to act and the food terminal market, which was officially launched at the Agri Expo, would contribute to regional food security while encouraging additional trade partnerships and product distribution between the two countries.
Caesar said the market will be linked to a farmer producer group, which will be trained in diversification.
“A farmer produces on the farm, brings it to the farm gate, and the person running the terminal market packages it and sends it to the food terminal market in Trinidad and Tobago. A money transfer is then made between the respective food terminal markets and farmers, and the process begins. This food terminal market allows us to move larger quantities at once”, Caesar explained.
Jai Rampersad, who has worked closely with St Vincent to get the terminal up and running, said many countries in Caricom are interested in this market.
According to him, this is just the beginning of a series of food market terminals to be built in Barbados, Miami, the United Kingdom, Canada, and New York.
Rampersad oversees the logistics by which yam, eddoes, sweet potato, dry coconuts, plantain and ginger, as well as value-added products such as jam, jelly sauce, and flour, are shipped to T&T from St Vincent via the boat that docks every week at the Port of Spain.
According to the minister, St Vincent imports just over US$100 million in food each year and the goal is to reduce that by 25 percent by 2025, as the Caricom leaders pointed out last weekend.
