The region has less than a year to reduce food imports by 25% by 2025, a commitment made by Caricom heads of government in 2022. Manufacturing director and co-founder of Cube Root Farms, Hamlyn Holder, has been actively working with local farmers to introduce modern agriculture and others, to offer his help and support to the cause.
"We want the best for T&T with a bold vision to minimize imports and foreign exchange, maximize food security, and where any child can access any fresh nutrient dense produce albeit local, tropical or temperate crops grown on their island," said Holder on the inspiration behind starting the business.
The business was also initiated as a means of diversifying its portfolio. Holder mentioned that with the other co-founders, their diverse backgrounds provided another avenue for expansion.
"My co-founders and I were looking to diversify our business portfolios, and smart and indoor agriculture, given our technical and business backgrounds—seemed to be a win-win. We still grow crops, but now we focus on growing other interested farmers and their capability by sharing our local research and development solutions with a high success rate." Explaining the services offered, Holder said the business specializes in indoor and outdoor agriculture, utilizing "100% organic nutrients such as azomite".
"The longest a setup ever took was three to four months (automated container farm), but it depends on the number of bells and whistles. Now we have a strong focus on using renewable energy." The estimated costs of the setups are scalable and can range from $600 to $200,000.
Read the entire article at Trinidad Express