1,000 acres of black eye peas, red beans to be planted by year end

Asked for details at the sidelines of an event on Friday, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha confirmed that areas in Regions Six and 10 were visited and the government found suitable land for the cultivation of these crops.

“(We) already have investors (and we are) meeting with them this afternoon.

“I think that the process will start shortly, before the end of the year at least 1,000 areas can be under cultivation,” Mustapha said.

Growing these crops, he explained, is part of the government’s plans to meet the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) ambitious food security agenda wherein the bloc hopes to cut its more than US$6 billion annual food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.