“Agriculture finance must move much higher up our development agenda.”
That was the reminder from the President of the Trinidad and Tobago–India Business Federation, Dr. Vaalmikki Arjoon, who renewed calls for greater capital to be directed toward local farmers, arguing that stronger financing for agricultural production would not only boost food security but also increase the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.
“Agriculture needs patient capital, flexible capital, credit guarantees, insurance solutions, and financial institutions that genuinely understand the agricultural business model. It’s not charity, it’s investment.”
Speaking at an agribusiness seminar hosted at the High Commission of India on Friday, Dr. Arjoon stressed that traditional banking products fail to match the agricultural cycle, leaving farmers without financing tailored to their needs.
“And when they seek financing, especially from the commercial banks, too often they are met with loan products designed for commercial borrowers, not for people whose income follows a harvest and whose collateral is a field, not a building. If not, they’re simply told no and turned away.”
However, India’s expertise, technology, investment, and agricultural supply are soon to be deployed in Trinidad and Tobago’s soil, opening new opportunities for farmers and expanding pathways to regional and international markets. That was the assurance from the High Commissioner of India to Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit.
“This provides you a platform. We connect you with the concerned partner agencies back in our country in terms of production, seeds, fertilisers, machines, technology, packaging, wherever it is required.”
Moving forward, CEO of Fresh Farm Dairy Products and Agriculture Analyst, Dr. Donny Rogers, emphasised that building Trinidad and Tobago’s agricultural sector means positioning local agriculture to compete at scale.
“So with the past conversation that we don’t have the land space, I’m showing you it’s wrong here, and collectively everything here will take a billion dollars off of the food import bill. When everything there goes towards processing and value addition, we’re talking about a lot more. Primary production spurs value addition.”
Dr. Arjoon challenged banks, policymakers, and the private sector to stop operating in silos and begin building together for the advancement of the sector.