Barbados Agricultural Society CEO Predicts Adequate Meat, Egg, and Crop Supplies for Christmas Despite Sector Challenges

Despite challenges facing the agriculture sector, Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) James Paul predicted Monday there will be sufficient supplies of meat, eggs, and crops for the Christmas season.

He told a press conference at BAS headquarters that favourable weather conditions could allow crop producers to grow short-term crops such as cucumbers and lettuce.

“I believe that taking into consideration what’s happening to the weather right now, we should have adequate supplies going towards the end of the year,” he said.

“This is October, and going forward, we still have enough time that with quick cultivation, and once those fields dry out properly and we get a sufficient amount of sunshine, we could apply the equipment in the fields and get some ready, especially for short crops. Potatoes are iffy, but certainly short crops like cucumbers and lettuce should be in abundance at Christmas if we have good weather.”

Earlier this month, Minister of Agriculture Indar Weir noted that the year’s crop production would be heavily affected by extreme weather, including intense heat and heavy rain. He revealed plans for a rapid cultivation programme to ensure sufficient locally produced crops are available for Christmas, with an emphasis on greenhouse farming.

While Paul acknowledged the climate’s impact on open-field farming, he suggested that greenhouse farming is not a universal solution.

“Certainly, the weather has not been kind in recent weeks, especially in some areas,” he said.

“One of our big production zones is the Spring Hall Land Lease Project in St Lucy. When I went down there last week, a lot of the farmers’ fields were waterlogged because they received a lot of rain. So, farmers found it difficult to get into the fields.”

Cultivating crops in such conditions is challenging, said Paul.

“I really want to emphasise that there’s this continuing myth in Barbados that greenhouses are the answer. Greenhouses are not the answer for every crop, and I really think we need to disabuse our minds of the notion that introducing greenhouses will automatically make vegetables readily available throughout the year. We still need to focus on open-field cultivation and ensure we have enough acreage to support it,” he said.

The key farming spokesman also reported that many farmers had difficulty growing tomatoes this year, and discussions were ongoing about introducing new varieties to the island.

Regarding the availability of pork, poultry, eggs, and beef, Paul was optimistic, stating there would be adequate stock for the season: “Towards the end of the year, there will be adequate pork supplies. There is absolutely no need to import pork from our Caribbean neighbours because we do have adequate supplies of pork.

“Certainly in terms of local beef, you don’t need to worry either, there are adequate supplies. Poultry again I want to emphasise that you don’t need to worry as far as that is concerned.”

Paul also expressed his satisfaction with the increasing number of young people entering the pork industry contributing to the rising supply. He noted that if any imports were necessary, discussions with importers and key figures in agriculture would be needed to avoid disrupting the domestic market.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb