THE Indian government has donated 19,000 kilogrammes of rice and over 12,500 litres of edible oil to Trinidad and Tobago.
According to Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Ravi Ratiram, the intent of the donation is to support underprivileged and vulnerable communities across the nation.
The donation, received by the ministry, is expected to be channelled towards food relief efforts amid growing economic pressures.
“This is not just about rice and oil. It is about people, families struggling to put food on the table, children going to bed hungry, and communities under stress,” Ratiram yesterday said at the official handover ceremony at the Ministry of Agriculture headquarters in Endeavour, Chaguanas.
“We accept this generous gift with deep gratitude, knowing it will directly assist those most in need,” he said.
According to Ratiram, the donation comes at a time when there were global supply chain disruptions, inflation and climate-related challenges.
The basmati rice and the sunflower and mustard oils were facilitated through HAFED (the Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation), a government agency in India. It was coordinated by the Ministries of Agriculture, Trade, and Foreign and Caricom Affairs, with Namdevco managing local logistics and storage.
The initiative also carries symbolic weight, taking place just ahead of Indian Arrival Day on May 30, a moment that honours 180 years since the arrival of East Indian indentured labourers in Trinidad and Tobago.
Indian High Commissioner Dr Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit, who also spoke at the event, described the gesture as part of a deeper commitment to supporting partner nations.
He said the Indian government had been waiting to distribute the products for some time.
“We are glad that it is happening in the very early days of their tenure. This event, this handing over, we have been planning for some time now, discussing, contemplating how to do and all, but I sincerely thank Honourable Minister of Agriculture for making it possible on a short notice and in his very early days of him taking office,” Rajpurohit said.
Beyond immediate relief, the event also spotlighted potential long-term collaborations between the two countries. Ratiram used the occasion to advocate for a revival of India’s past technical support to Trinidad and Tobago’s agriculture sector, particularly in rice and coconut cultivation, and called for new initiatives to enhance food production and self-sufficiency.
“India, once a food importer, is now a major agricultural exporter due to decades of investment in seed innovation, cooperative farming and agro-technology,” Ratiram said, emphasising the opportunity for knowledge exchange, food processing expertise, and trade expansion, including a soon-to-arrive shipment of US$1 million worth of agro-processing equipment for local use.
“This donation is the first step in a broader journey,” the High Commissioner said. “We hope to see increased engagement in trade, training, and agricultural development, all of which can improve livelihoods in Trinidad and Tobago.”
During a subsequent question-and-answer session with reporters, Rajpurohit recalled that the US$1 million in agro-processing machinery and chillers, intended for processing fruits and vegetables and designated for Namdevco, was facilitated in 2023, when the Caricom Heads of Government met in Trinidad and Tobago alongside the Foreign Affairs Ministers of India and Caricom.
