Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Records Successful Black Eye Bean Harvest Under Strategic Pilot Project

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries today marked a significant milestone in Trinidad and Tobago’s agricultural diversification and food security agenda with the successful harvest of black eye beans cultivated under the Ministry’s Pilot Programme for Black Eye Bean, Corn and Soya Beans Production.

The harvest ceremony brought together Government officials, technical agencies, farmers, agricultural stakeholders and development partners to observe the progress of the initiative, which forms part of the Ministry’s broader strategy to strengthen domestic food production and reduce import dependency.

The pilot project was launched to evaluate the commercial viability, agronomic performance and scalability of strategic grain and legume crops within local production conditions. The initiative also seeks to generate data-driven outcomes to support future investment, farmer participation and national production planning.

Remarks were delivered by Senator the Honourable Ravi Ratiram, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries; Dr. the Honourable Rishad Seecheran, Minister in the Ministry of Health and Member of Parliament for Caroni East; Ms. Annalean Inniss, Permanent Secretary (Ag.) in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries; Mr. Keshore Lautchman, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education; Ms Kamla Phagoo, Councillor Kelly Village/Warrenville and Mr. Fayaz Shah, Manager, Science, Technology and Innovation at the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI).

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Senator the Honourable Ravi Ratiram, described the harvest as a “critical step toward building greater resilience within Trinidad and Tobago’s food production systems.”

“This initiative demonstrates that strategic crop production can play a meaningful role in strengthening national food and nutrition security, reducing external supply vulnerabilities and creating new economic opportunities for farmers and agro-processors,” Minister Ratiram stated.

The Minister further emphasized that black eye beans represent a high-potential commodity due to strong domestic demand, nutritional value and suitability for sustainable crop rotation systems through nitrogen fixation and improved soil health management.

The Minister also noted that the project will continue to undergo technical evaluation to assess production efficiency, market feasibility and opportunities for phased expansion into larger-scale commercial cultivation, while commending pioneering farmers Mr. Richard Singh and Mr. Nawaz Karim for their dedication, commitment and technical expertise in this strategic pilot initiative.

The initiative was executed through collaboration among the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and key technical and development partners, including the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries remains committed to advancing sustainable, production-driven agriculture capable of supporting economic diversification, rural development and national food security.

 

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