What if crops traditionally considered three-month investments could be harvested in just seven weeks?
That possibility was among the key talking points at a vegetable seedling production workshop hosted by the MarVista Institute in Sangre Grande, where participants explored how improved seedling production could create new business opportunities and boost local food production.
Chairman of the MarVista Institute Marcus Mycoo said new approaches to seedling production are reducing growing times for several crops, including hot peppers, pimentos and pawpaw.
Speaking at the Vegetable Seedling Production for Profit Workshop, he said shorter production times could increase returns for farmers and change how agricultural ventures are financed.
“Anything that you’re growing, hot pepper, if you ask any of the reps or the people here, they will tell you it’s a seven-week crop. Bam, it is not a three-month crop which all the data for the bankers, all the bankers, when all you’re processing loan and it’s a three-month crop. Well, if it is really seven weeks, because you need to come and see, don’t take my word for it, then the whole finance story changes, return to investment changing, opportunities changing.”
He said the Institute is demonstrating practical methods to accelerate production and improve efficiency for farmers.
“Show you hands on how to get papaya seedlings ready in two and a half weeks, not six, not eight. And the pimento is six and eight. Ole talk. Nonsense. They begging me not to use any expletives. The game is really three.”
Manager of the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government’s Local Economic Development Unit Alicia Lovelace said programmes of this nature provide participants with both technical skills and business knowledge.
“Training programmes such as this therefore serve two purposes: they provide participants with technical knowledge, but they can also provide the foundation for economic opportunity. Our objective should not simply be to leave here knowing how to produce a seedling. We should also understand how to produce that seedling efficiently, consistently and at a quality that someone is willing to purchase.”
Ms Lovelace also challenged the notion that agriculture is limited to large-scale farming, noting that there are numerous income-generating opportunities across the agricultural value chain.
“Agriculture is also a business, and within the agricultural value chain there are many opportunities for entrepreneurs to earn an income without necessarily operating large farms. Vegetable seedling production is one such opportunity. Every successful crop begins with a good plant, and the quality of the seedling can influence everything that follows.”
Topics covered during the workshop included disease management, financial literacy, vegetable seed germination and selecting suitable locations for seedling nurseries.