BY FABIAN BELGRAVE | MAR 21, 2022
From left to right: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Nutritional Security, Terry Bascombe; Barbados’ Minister of Agriculture and Food and Nutritional Security, Indar Weir; Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha; and Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, in discussion during their site visit to Lears, St. Michael on Saturday. (T. Barker/BGIS)
The site at Lears, St. Michael, which is earmarked for the construction of a food terminal in Barbados, has been deemed appropriate and has met all of the criteria required for such a facility.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley; Minister of Agriculture and Food and Nutritional Security, Indar Weir; Ministry officials and a delegation from Guyana visited the site on Saturday to determine its viability for crop production, and water storage, and all agreed that it was the ideal location.
The seven acres of land at Lears, St. Michael, will have a purpose-built facility to accommodate about 40 containers at any time; a reservoir holding 20 million gallons of water, and land for crop production.
Minister Weir, speaking about the food terminal, stated: “We are going to have a Guyana-Barbados food terminal where Barbados would act as a hub; using a hub-and-spoke arrangement for us then to transship agricultural produce between Barbados and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states, and even beyond CARICOM, exporting into North America.”
He went on to explain that Barbados must be able to produce not just food but the right type of food. “We must have food sovereignty, that is, know what we are growing; how it is being grown; the quantities that we need, and consistency of supply,” he noted.
The food terminal is a direct result of the Guyana-Barbados St. Barnabas Accord, which was signed by President of Guyana, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.
The main agenda is to replace 25% of food imports throughout the region by 2025. Ms. Mottley set this target in 2018 when the regional ministers for agriculture met in Barbados.
Prime Minister Mottley disclosed that working with President Ali and his team on this project was very important and thanked President Ali, who has lead responsibility for agriculture in CARICOM.
She said he had worked hard over the last 12 months to “bring us to this point where we have a plan for substitution, and for regional production, but at the same time, on a parallel track, working with us in Barbados to deepen our bilateral cooperation in agriculture”.
“We’re looking at joint cooperation on the Black Belly sheep…. They’ve donated 25 shade houses and we’re purchasing another 25 through the Youth Enterprise Cultural initiative. We’re talking also about the possibility of shrimp farming being introduced into Barbados, and these are not long term, horizon things; these are things that will happen this year … so I’m really excited about it all at the national level,” she stated.
Other projects include fish farming, fruits and vegetable importation, and the planting of 50,000 fruit trees in Barbados. The Guyanese delegation comprised: Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha; Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond; Chief Executive Officer, Go-Invest, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Sharon Roopchand-Edwards; Director General, Ministry of Agriculture, Madanlall Ramraj; Advisor, CARICOM Agri-Food Systems, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Richard Blair; Chairman, Ministry of Agriculture, Lionel Wordsworth, and Agriculture Business Development Officer, Ministry of Agriculture, Asraf Narine.
Barbados & Guyana Working To Improve Food Security
MAR 21, 2022 | BGIS.
Barbados and Guyana continue to strengthen their relationship by working to secure greater access to food supplies through boosting this island’s agriculture sector and by ensuring the continuation and expansion of imports from Guyana to help meet local needs.
Last Saturday, a joint meeting between the two countries was held at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Nutritional Security with Barbadian importers of rice, fruit and vegetables to listen to their needs and address concerns, while outlining future plans between Barbados and Guyana.
Minister Indar Weir; Permanent Secretary, Terry Bascombe, and Chief Agriculture Officer, Keeley Holder, met with a Mission from Guyana, which was jointly led by Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, and Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commence, Oneidge Walrond, as part of a follow-up of the Guyana-Barbados St. Barnabas Accord.
Other participants included Special Envoy to Suriname and Guyana, Alphea Wiggins, and Ambassador to CARICOM, David Comissiong.
Minister Weir and Ms. Holder both stressed the need for Barbados to be as self-sufficient as it could be, seeking to supplement any shortages from within CARICOM.
They noted that Guyana has a key role to play as it can provide Barbados with pest-resistant planting material, especially where there is heavy demand for such, as is the case with cassava, avocados, citrus fruit, peanuts and coconuts.
It was also noted that knowledge sharing, skills transfer and other forms of technical assistance from Guyana, especially in adopting climate-resistant approaches to farming (e.g. building of shade houses), would help Barbadian farmers drive greater efficiencies and diversity into new areas of food production, while creating opportunities for established and new farmers.
They pointed out, however, that there is an immediate need for consistent high-quality agricultural products at competitive pricing, which can be sourced from Guyana.
Minister Zulfikar Mustapha agreed that Guyana could support Barbados’ thrust for self-sufficiency and could help fill any gaps where local production did not meet demand.
He noted that he visited a Farmers’ Market early that Saturday morning to see the market demand; to better understand the source of the products being sold on the market, and to interact with those selling to get their feedback on needs.
He stated that Guyana could supply much of the produce that he saw on sale, of consistent quality and at good pricing, including rice, avocados, citrus fruit, peanuts, coconuts, oranges, pineapples, and even shrimp.
Mr. Mustapha was, however, quick to indicate that shipping costs continue to rise exponentially and are now more than the food costs; noting that shipping would continue to increase.
The Minister stated that farmers in Guyana were experiencing increased efficiencies and passing them on in the form of lower pricing, but shipping had been offsetting the improved pricing.
He added that direct shipping between Guyana, Suriname and Barbados could be arranged, with similar arrangements made for the Eastern Caribbean, which would help control the cost of freighting.
Minister Mustapha said the planned establishment of the Barbados Food Terminal at Lears would bring about significant process improvements and cost efficiencies in the importation and distribution of food supplies to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, with the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) playing a critical role as a consolidation point in Guyana. The GMC would also help to guarantee supply, quality and the best pricing.
Ambassador David Comissiong affirmed that the planned food terminal would benefit CARICOM and bring needed efficiencies to member states as well.
