Trinidad and Tobago is beginning to reap the benefits of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s visit to Ghana, as the West African country recently gifted the country with ten thousand yam seeds.

According to Dr Rowley, the gift of yams will hopefully play a part in improving local diets and reducing the country’s billion-dollar food import bill.

But, he said this can only be achieved if citizens consume it over other imported products.

Speaking at the Tucker Valley Shade House, Chaguaramas Agricultural Park in Chaguaramas yesterday, Rowley said the intention was to multiply and propagate the species into the farming community.

“We recently received as a gift from Dr Mitchell at the Ghanian authorities, 10,000 units of planting material of four varieties of yams, so, we are introducing those varieties into Trinidad and Tobago now. I am particularly pleased this morning to associate my office and myself with this initiative, because I believe that it will have far-reaching contributions to something that we talk about a lot and that is reducing our food import bill,” Rowley said.

“If you talk to anybody in this country about food import, they will tell you that this country imports too much of its food and we need to reduce our food import bill. But, that objective can only be achieved in two ways; if we produce more food locally and if we consume what we produce.”

“I believe that if we produce high-quality ground provisions here in Trinidad and Tobago and make it known to those who prepare meals, that we can have an impact as producers of those components,” he added.

While reminiscing on his early days growing up in Tobago, in a community that grew and planted local produce, Rowley said for it to become part of our diets, citizens are going to have to embrace provision and see it as an alternative to other imported products.

He said, “While I was in Ghana, I was able to sample a number of these white yams, smooth, soft, beautifully tasting white yams which can replace the white potato that we import. You know we import a lot of what you call ‘Irish potatoes.’ It’s white potato from Canada. That forms a huge part of our diet in very many ways.

“A lot of that can be replaced by yams and the older ladies will tell you that just having boiled the yam as part of the diet associated with stews and vegetables and so on, that had been a part of our diet which we have lost over time. So, we are aiming to put back on the table in Trinidad and Tobago tasty, healthy, white yams.”

He said the four variety of yams will be planted across both islands and should be harvested within the next six to nine months.

In addition to planting at Chaguaramas, he said yams were already planted in the western part of Tobago and in two weeks’ time, yams will also be planted in Mason Hall.

The PM said he hopes that by planting the yams at different locations across the country, Government will be able to see what soils they will do best in. He said it is against that backdrop a decision will be made on which varieties to invest in and encourage local farmers to grow those.

“I really would like to see the output of these yams in the market of T&T, because it is only when we plant more, to plant more and to do so sensibly, we will be able to bring in new varieties. The ones that we’ve lost, we need to improve our gene pool by bringing in better gene quality as tested in other countries. We test them here, make our own research, come up with our own data and choose our own varieties.

“So, when we do that, we can now encourage the farmers confidently to plant these varieties. And when we plant them, we could say to our national population, ‘Get to know these produce. They are good for you. They are good for the country.’

“We want to grow what we eat and we’re asking you to eat what we grow. That is the only way that we can impact significantly on this food import bill—by having more food grown locally and we consume what we grow. These yams are now in our hands. As we grow them, we won’t have to spend any foreign exchange on them. All we have to do is want to eat them.

“So, let’s look forward to the harvest and let’s look forward to the main news that will come where slices of white yams obtained from Ghanian diets, from Ghanian fields, from our friends in Ghana, from the government and people of Ghana to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Also present were prime minister-designate Stuart Young, Minister of Youth Development and National Service Foster Cummings, Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Kazim Hosein and Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture Avinash Singh.