THE EDITOR: Why were the United National Congress Members of Parliament and officials conspicuously absent from all the major activities of the recently hosted Agri-Investment Forum and Expo? Much like the local government public consultations boycott, the UNC refused to attend this very important national initiative by the Government. I am advised that all members of the UNC were invited to expo, yet they all chose not to attend the event.

The Government must be commended for hosting the expo following a similar agricultural conference in Guyana.

The impact of covid19 has had an immediate and adverse impact on food security for many nations that import a significant amount of food. Trinidad and Tobago has an annual food import bill over $4 billion and therefore any discussion to reduce the food import bill and increase domestic production of substitute agricultural products should be fully explored.

The Jagdeo Initiative by then president of Guyana Bharrat Jagdeo to have Guyana make its available land to Caricom, which was further developed by myself as minister of food production, was all part of the recognition of the critical imperative to reduce Caricom's food dependency from outside the region.

While only a week ago the UNC MPs, senators, councillors and other party officials were out in their numbers to attend a lime in Debe under the patronage of Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the Opposition was conspicuously absent from the Agri-Investment Forum and Expo. Eating and drinking appear to have a higher priority on the Opposition agenda than food security for TT and Caricom.

It is therefore hypocritical for the UNC to host a press conference to speak about the importance of agricultural development when it refuses to be part of any national discussion or to participate in the democratic process.

The continued contempt that the UNC has for participating in the democratic process and by extension the development of TT, unless it controls the process, shows the self-serving agenda of the leadership of the UNC.

DEVANT MAHARAJ

former minister

of food production