PORT-AU-PRINCE, Trinidad (AP) - To offset food price hikes of more than 25
percent since 2005, this Caribbean nation plans to convert up to 20,000 acres of
state-owned land into large farms, and they're looking to Cuba for expertise in
ramping up agricultural production.
The farms will be created in Tucker Valley, a fertile region where a U.S.
naval base operated World War II, and sold to qualified buyers. Experts from
Cuba are expected to arrive next month to teach farmers how to mass produce
fruits and vegetables for local consumption, Trinidad Agriculture Minister
Arnold Piggott said.
Small-scale farmers are concerned that once the large farms are created,
their parcels -- which they traditionally lease from the government for 30 years
-- will be seized for construction of homes and businesses. Some such cases have
been reported recently, said Dhano Sookoo, president of the island's
agricultural society, which represents 17,000 farmers.
Piggott denied that land seizures are being contemplated, but acknowledged
that the government needs to keep building 10,000 houses a year to meet the
population's needs. "It may very well be that some traditional agricultural
lands, which may now be lying waste, may be allocated for housing," Piggott
said.
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