00:00Extreme weather is adding another layer of uncertainty for farmers already grappling with higher operating costs.
00:07But President of the Trinidad and Tobago Farmers Union, Shiraz Khan, says access to foreign exchange is already making it
00:14harder to source essential inputs.
00:16The foreign exchange was the chemicals, the medication for animals, the cost of the feed, everything started to escalate and
00:26people had money in terms of the U.S. dollar to do some purchases because it was unavailable.
00:34Khan says the issue has been raised repeatedly with successive administrations.
00:39He points to last year's table egg shortage as a warning of the consequences when local production falls short of
00:46demand.
01:09He says the reoccurring challenges point to a wider problem with the treatment of agriculture.
01:15Government, government come and government go. We end up in the same situation and nobody treats agriculture in a serious
01:21way but as the bastard child of the economy.
01:24Rather than relying on imports when supplies fall short, Khan wants greater investment in local production.
01:52He is calling for greater collaboration between governments and farmers to strengthen local production
01:59and reduce the country's reliance on imports when shortages occur.
02:03Charlotte Histo, TV6 News.
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