Food before steel, aluminum

Letter to the Editor
Trinidad Guardian
March 6, 2007

How does the Essar Group, one of India’s largest steel and energy corporations, get a certificate of environmental clearance to set up a US$1.76 billion iron and steel complex on former Caroni (1975) Ltd land at Phoenix Park to take over 3,000 acres of former sugarcane land when T&T has such a feeble agricultural sector coupled with a huge food import bill?

China and India, which were 15 years ago self-sufficient in food production with their large populations, now find themselves having to import much of their food since taking up the great industrialisation development path.

Nothing is wrong with development but at the end of the day affordable, nutritious, fresh foods and a healthy physical environment are what will sustain human life, not aluminium, steel, concrete or even money et al.

We need leadership that will think through these aspects of development that take into account the generations to come beyond 2020.

Gregory Sloane-Seale