Sugar and Energy Festival

June 04, 2012:

The Ministry of Food Production, Land and Marine Affairs was well represented at the 15th annual Sugar and Energy Festival 2012.

The event was held at Gilbert Park in Couva over a three day period.

Five of the Ministry's divisions were present at the festival along with several state agencies: the Cocoa and Coffee Industry Board (CCIB), the Seafood Industry Development Company (SIDC), the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (NAMDEVCO), the Sugarcane Feeds Centre (SFC) and the Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago (ASTT).

The Ministry's booths were hosted by the Extension Training and Information Services Division, Animal Production and Health Division (AP&H), Research and Fisheries Divisions and the County Caroni Office which collectively featured attractive displays of potted vegetables, cocoa pods, grow box, drip irrigation system, rabbits, tilapia, conch and a sustainable farm model.

Children who visited the booths were engaged in educational games with the option of winning seeds or seedlings as prizes.

Posters and brochures provided at the booths included information on: how to make a compost, nutritional facts on rabbit meat, breeding of goats and sheep, facts sheets on cocoa production and pests, fruits, roots and tubers, aquaculture for food security and the services provided by County Caroni including; farmers registration, access to incentives, courses on grow box construction among other things.