Barbados Urged to Invest in Processing Industries for Economic Self-Sufficiency

A United Nations official on his first-ever trip to this country has been prompted by his hotel stay to highlight the paradox of Barbados importing items it could easily produce.

“This morning in my hotel, they offered me mango juice. You produce the best mangoes here but the mango juice is from Italy. The drinkable water is from France yet you have the best water resources. And the towels are from Turkey,” said United Nations Industrial Development Organisation Director General Gerd Müller. He urged Barbados to invest in processing industries to better use its abundant natural resources and become self-sufficient in food.

Müller stressed using local resources to create jobs and stimulate the economy, especially for young people. “We have to think about the economy. Young people need perspective, jobs. It is very important to invest in processing … produce your own fruit juice, water and textiles.”

Headquartered at the UN Office in Vienna, Austria, UNIDO is the UN’s specialised agency for assisting countries in economic and industrial development.

The UNIDO chief’s call came ahead of a tour of the International Food Science Centre at Newton Industrial Estate on Thursday, part of the Barbados-UNIDO Progress by Innovation Tour showcasing advancements by the BLOOM Cleantech Cluster.

“I think it’s very important for the country to strengthen the resilience and productivity in the agrotech sector,” he said. “This wonderful country should and could become self-sufficient in food production. There should be more private investments in the agrotech sector.” He added that boosting agrotech resilience was crucial amid climate change impacts.

Established in 2019, the BLOOM incubator, backed by UNIDO and funded by the Global Environment Facility, aims to make Barbados a cleantech leader by providing shared resources.

UNIDO affirmed its commitment, with Müller stating: “We are here to learn and see. UNIDO is for knowledge transfer, technology transfer, new partnerships – investment in infrastructure and the future.”

Export Barbados CEO Mark Hill noted BLOOM’s progress and the need for renewable energy, admitting the local industry was “stuck in the industrial revolution 2.0” with human-focused technologies requiring an upgrade to smart manufacturing with artificial intelligence.

“I don’t think there’s any factory in Barbados that uses a robot to produce anything,” Hill declared. “Not even the arms to move packaging or to help persons with health and safety issues. So we know that the big investment to help Barbados to transition into a smart manufacturing space is that investment in artificial intelligence.”

He revealed that conversations with UNIDO officials have begun regarding investments to assist in the transition to 4.0 technology and platforms, while maintaining cleantech applications.

BLOOM cluster manager Dr Terrell Thompson said it supported cleantech startups in areas like water sanitation, AI, green buildings and waste management.

Highlighting the importance of local innovation, Thompson showcased some of the cluster’s notable projects, such as the Rum and Sargassum initiative, which converts seaweed and rum distillery waste into biomethane for vehicular transport, and Red Diamond Compost, which focuses on sustainable composting solutions.

The tour concluded at the food science centre observing cleantech pilots including seamoss and biogas projects. (SM)