May 2016 Financial News

Massy backs local food drive

May 26, 2016

Massy Stores is supporting an initiative to purchase more produce from local farmers. CEO Derek Winford said officials of the supermarket chain plan to meet with farmers to better understand their concerns and projections for moving forward.

In opening remarks at a cheque presentation ceremony at Massy Stores headquarters, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain yesterday, Winford said they had partnered with local farmers to encourage and promote increased consumption of locally grown produce, assuring food security for the nation. Massy Stores yesterday handed over a total of $104,100 to 19 charities.

The funds were raised through the inaugural Massy Stores Run For Food on April 9 at the Queen’s Park Savannah. Massy Stores marketing manager Anthony Choo Quan appealing to the charities to buy local with the monies they received and urged them to look for the specially tagged items in groceries as this would ensure the livelihoods of the local farming population.

Winford commended the World Food Day National Committee, which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, for coming up with the initiative. He said the highly successful Massy Stores Run For Food was aimed at raising awareness of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and the links to home-grown produce.

The ministry’s deputy permanent secretary Joan Hannibal-Phillips echoed Winford’s sentiments when she said: “Eat what you grow and grow what you eat.” She said the world population currently exceeding seven billion, more attention needed to be paid to the local agriculture sector as national food security is a necessity. Hannibal-Phillips said an increasing dependence on foreign produce had pushed the country’s foreign imports bill to $5 billion a year.

This, she said,s was unacceptable and the import bill has to be reduced immediately. She said government is supportive of local farmers and had placed more emphasis on locally grown produce. Urging citizens to avail themselves of the agricultural farming tips and suggestions listed on the ministry’s website, Hannibal-Phillips said citizens had to join hands to work on eradicating hunger.

The charities that received cheques yesterday included the Lady Hochoy Home, Saint Dominic’s Children’s Home Plain Vue, Chaguanas Senior Citizen Home, Finbar Ryan Home, Christ Child Convalescent Home, Cyril Ross Nursery; Families In Action, Lady Hochoy Home (South), Leonard Cheshire Foundation, Marabella Family Crisis Centre, All Saints Gordon Home, Our Lady of Lourdes RC Church, Ferndean’s Children’s Home, Goshen Home for Battered Women and Children, Memisa Centre, St Dominic’s Children’s Home, Amica House, House of Grace and the Princess Elizabeth Centre.

Source:
Anna-Lisa Paul
Trinidad Guardian
Thursday May 26, 2016

http://www.guardian.co.tt/business/2016-05-26/massy-backs-local-food-drive