A grave labour shortage is hindering the start-up of the Caribbean and T&T’s first $3 million “Pick Your Own Vegetables” mega farm, which is expected to be launched next month. Several advertisements placed in the print media seeking labourers for the 100-acre Chaguaramas Farm in Tucker Valley, has yielded little or no results in the last three months. For the farm’s managing director Joe Pires, it’s his biggest headache.
Pires’ efforts to woo labourers have brought frustration and stress, as he gets set to open his sprawling. The latest statistics obtained from the Central Statistical Office showed that from the first to the fourth quarters of 2012, there were altogether 13,500 people employed in the agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing sectors. The farm operates under Five Stars Farms Ltd, owned by Pires. “What we want to offer is a one-stop shop for high quality produce at competitive prices,” Pires said.
Pires said while the concept of the farm was not new, it will be the first for T&T and the Caribbean. In 2012 Five Star Farms Ltd won a bid to operate the land managed by the Chaguaramas Development Authority. Pires first thought of growing onions on a large scale with a 30-year lease in hand. “That was our original idea. But we realised that a stand-alone farm would not be viable...it would not generate enough revenue for our business and therefore, we needed to think outside of the box.”
Farms abroad specialise in one crop, but Pires intends to offer a variety, many of which would be new to consumers.
Jones: We approached Rebirth House
Perry Jones, the farm’s manager, and a few workers have been painstakingly cultivating the farm. Jones said while the farm has been operating, its biggest setback was acquiring labour. For months they have been searching for workers without success. As a last resort, Jones said, he approached Rebirth House, a drug rehabilitation centre, to source recovering addicts, but many had little or no agricultural skills, while others were not interested.
“We are really in a crisis. It’s like searching for a needle in a hay stack. I never thought we would have reached to this stage in the agriculture sector, but this is the reality.” Jones said they retained some workers without checking their background, only to discover they were not trustworthy and had to dismiss them. “Now we have to screen and ask everyone interested in working for a police record as a precautionary measure.”
Maharaj: People do not see agriculture as viable
Food Production Minister Devant Maharaj described the labour shortage as “a real problem.” Maharaj said the shortfall was attributed to several reasons, but its main basis “is people do not see it as a viable source of income.” This, he said, is not so. In the last year, Maharaj said, his ministry has been working with URP, OJT and Cepep to train individuals to work, but the issue continues to linger on.
Haywood: Our hands are tied
President of the National Foodcrop Farmers’ Association Terrence Haywood admitted they have a high demand for labour, but few people have been coming forward. Haywood said farmers have been sourcing labour from Guyana. “The farmers go to Guyana and bring back people who are willing to work on farms for $150 to $200 per day.” Haywood said locals have been gravitating towards Cepep, which requires less hours of work for a full day’s pay.
“This is the culture we are accepting and encouraging. People just want everything easy. Many of the farmers have complained to the association, but our hands are tied. This is a matter for the ministry to deal with.”
David Abdulah responds
Movement for Social Justice leader, David Abdulah said T&T was facing national labour shortage. Abdulah said in 2009 Fitun had recommended to the then PNM government to transform part of Cepep into a farmpep programme to boost the industry, which never materialised. The establishment of community based co-operatives was also recommended, Abdulah said. He said while the issue generated a lot of debate, little was done.
Sections of the labour market, Abdulah said, are faced with employees who have little skills and paid minimum wage.