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Transcript
00:00 Agriculture, it's a field still largely unaffected by the technological revolution.
00:09 But according to newly elected president of the Agricultural Society, Daryl Rampersad,
00:15 farming is ripe for change as need couples with opportunity.
00:18 Our farmers are somewhat a couple of steps back in terms of technology.
00:24 And we need to bring the farmers now into that era of technology because they're looking
00:29 at more protected systems in agriculture.
00:32 During an interview with CNC3 News, Rampersad said modernizing farms and operations were
00:37 high on the executive's agenda.
00:39 Rampersad has hit the ground running and already met with several stakeholders and intends
00:45 to engage the attention of Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambarat.
00:48 I have called for all the heads of agencies to meet that we can all put together one program
00:55 that we can work on to benefit the farming community because it's almost close to 10
00:59 years that we have not had that sort of collaboration between NAMDESCO, ADB, the president of the
01:06 Agricultural Society, CARDI, and all the relevant agencies.
01:10 We need to once more unite the sector.
01:13 Meanwhile, he said farmers, like many others, continue to grapple with navigating through
01:18 the COVID-19 pandemic.
01:20 The restaurants who would make up a large part of the market, together with the school
01:25 feeding program and so on, was unable to purchase because of closure.
01:29 That had a direct impact on the farmers because what happened is then we end up with surplus
01:35 produce on the market, which resulted in prices dropping.
01:39 Earlier this month, Rampersad replaced past president Danosuku, who held the helm for
01:44 over a decade.
01:49 Now this tool may not be found around the farm per se, but actually in the palm of your
01:54 hands.
01:55 In case you didn't know, smartphone apps called Smart Irrigation are aimed at helping
01:59 farmers manage the water they use on their crops by taking into account local weather
02:04 conditions.
02:05 The app uses GPS technology already available in smartphones to determine when users should
02:12 water their crops by estimating how much H2O the plants are using each day and factoring
02:19 in area rainfall totals via connection with the closest weather station.
02:28 It's scary to zig while everyone else zags.
02:31 Done improperly, farm expansions can end up in bankruptcy and cause family heartache.
02:37 That's why family members need to have a heart-to-heart talk about the farm goals before growing the
02:43 farm.
02:44 Ram Deo, CNC 3 News.
02:48 [MUSIC PLAYING]