WHAT was once one of Trinidad’s largest farming belts on the outskirts of Port of Spain is swiftly transforming into a dense patchwork of hardware stores, warehouses, fast food outlets, plazas and malls.

The district of Aranguez, long known for its fertile fields and steady supply of fresh produce, is in the midst of a dramatic evolution – one that farmers and business leaders alike believe is inevitable, though not without its consequences.

The signs are obvious. From the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway up to the Aranguez Savannah, a number of plots that once yielded patchoi and watermelon now sit behind chain-link fences marked "For Sale."

A drive through the area reveals bustling construction sites and freshly paved parking lots where there used to be rows of lettuce.

And while commercial growth is bringing jobs and services to the area, the infrastructure meant to support that expansion is lagging dangerously behind.

A district built on agriculture

Historically, Aranguez was the capital’s breadbasket. Throughout the 20th century, it was home to some of the country’s first organised truck farmers, supplying markets in Port of Spain with everything from bodi to cucumber.

The district’s fertile soil and flat terrain made it ideal for short-crop farming and livestock.

The Aranguez Savannah itself was once a vast rice plain, later a livestock grazing ground, before being converted into a community hub and recreational venue.

"It’s not something that happened overnight," said Pundit Satyanand Maharaj, head of the Aranguez United Farmers Association.

"This has been coming for years. But it accelerated after the highway opened up easy access to the area.

"The land values went up, and little by little, the farms were replaced by hardware stores, warehouses and now malls."

Today, only pockets of farming remain.

Sunita Ramdial-Baldeo, who rents private land in the area alongside her husband Jonny, still plants cauliflower, celery and cabbage. But the challenges are mounting.

"The ravine needs to be cleaned. With the government before, we never really got any help after floods," she told Business Day. "It’s a big gamble farming here. Flooding, theft – entire crops gone. And we just have to fight and battle it on we own."

The couple knows their time is limited, saying they’ll surely be on the plots for a few more years, "but we know it’s only a matter of time."

Commerce rising, infrastructure stalling

The pace of commercialisation in Aranguez South, particularly south of the Savannah, has been relentless.

According to Abrahim Ali, president of the San Juan Business Association, "agriculture is virtually finished in the area."

[caption id="attachment_1153874" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Sprinklers are seen watering cauliflower plants on farmland in Global Avenue Extension, Aranguez on May 6.[/caption]

He estimated 70 to 80 per cent of the land has been repurposed for commercial and residential use.

"You still see some housing developments and a few plots, but most of the remaining