PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad –The minister of trade and industry is encouraged by the progress made by the Nutrimix Group of Companies Limited on the construction of its Next Generation Hatchery in Couva. The development of this innovative state-of-the-art Hatchery is as a direct result of the strategic foresight of the late Shaheed Mohammed, founder of the Nutrimix Group of Companies.
On August 16, 2018, prime minister Keith Christopher Rowley turned the sod for the construction of the Hatchery on five acres of land which was once part of the Brechin Castle Estate in Couva. The hatchery is now 90 percent completed and expected to be commissioned in the forthcoming months.
The total investment made by the Nutrimix Group of Companies is approximately $60 million, which represents the single largest investment in the Agriculture sector in recent times. The facility will introduce new technology that utilizes bio-secured controlled ventilation, intelligent chick management systems, and equipment monitoring the entire process from egg to chick.
With a capacity of approximately three million eggs, there will be an opportunity for exports of live baby chicks which will generate much needed foreign exchange. Higher up the value chain, there will also be the potential to increase exports of dressed poultry. The construction of the facility boosted local employment during the construction phase by some one hundred persons and is expected to create permanent job opportunities for fifty persons once operational.
The ministry of trade and industry reaffirms its commitment to supporting the private sector in such pioneering initiatives as part of the government’s aim to further diversify the economy.
