Barbados' Agriculture Sector in Need of Support, Threatening Food Security: Opposition Leader

Barbados’ agricultural sector is in dire need of support, and the lack of food security is a threat to the country’s security, says Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne.

He was turning his attention to agriculture during his Reply to the 2024/25 Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals in the House of Assembly on Tuesday.

Thorne said the sugar, non-sugar, poultry and

Among the issues he identified were:

– Lower numbers at the abattoirs

– Out of the promised 2 000 acres, only four are in cotton

– Sugar and non-sugar agriculture are underproducing

– Farmers predict this will be the worst local onion harvest

– The hooves of blackbelly sheep exported to Guyana are rotting in water-logged fields

– Farmers on the Land Lease projects can’t get water support and water rates are too high, crippling young farmers

– The local pork industry is in trouble and Barbados is now importing from Suriname

– Pig production has fallen from 35 000 to 30 000 a year

– The price compact forced down the price of chicken and put small producers out of the market, while a monopoly seems to be developing

– Thorne charged that the opening up of markets was now having a dampening effect on local production as the Government was turning to importation, the spending of more foreign exchange.

– He said although tourism was the main economic driver, the sector was not giving local farmers enough support.

(SAT)