Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is calling for former Caroni lands to be used as a launch pad for modern agriculture.
This came during a presentation of agricultural land leases to over 200 former Caroni employees from Picton 1 Road, Penal.
She urged the children and grandchildren of former Caroni workers to use this inheritance and turn these leases into avenues for food security and jobs.
The Prime Minister encouraged them to apply technology to protected cropping, drip irrigation, cold chain logistics, electronic commerce, and rigorous export standards.
She added that once there are enthusiasm and ideas, tools and additional support would be given.
Mrs Persad-Bissessar also encouraged recipients to claim their acres with confidence and treat their leases as legacies.
After the sugar factory’s closure in 2003, the Caroni Voluntary Separation Package granted each former Caroni worker one agricultural sub-lease for a two-acre parcel of land, for a 30-year period.
