Barbados’ Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security Minister, Indar Weir has urged local businesses to identify and pursue lower-cost inputs, even if it means a movement away from traditional source markets.
In a statement to mark World Food Day, Weir said Barbados is continuing to grapple with the severe impact of climate change on crop and livestock yields, the global supply deficits generated by the COVID-19 pandemic; and the effects of the Russia/Ukraine war.
He said the island is also exposed to price hikes triggered by grain and oil shortages, and the government is determined to ‘leave no one behind,” a reference to the theme marking the observance of World Food Day.
He said the theme “Leave no One Behind: Better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life,” reinforces the importance of developing food systems that can withstand shocks such as climatic events, pandemics, and political unrest, so there is minimal disruption to the supply of fresh, safe, and nutritious foods to all citizens, including the most vulnerable.
Weir said the government is seeking to alleviate challenges faced by farmers associated with the rising costs of feed inputs, and at the domestic level, his ministry is currently involved in discussions with the local animal feed producer “about ways to ensure that price increases are either avoided or kept at a minimum.
“As a small country, Barbados is a price taker within the global marketplace. It is therefore now urgent, perhaps more than ever, for local businesses to identify and pursue lower cost inputs, even if it means a movement away from traditional source markets,” Weir said, adding “in many cases, my government can assist with identifying cheaper source markets without compromising input quality.”
Weir said notwithstanding local efforts to boost agricultural output, the Barbados government recognizes that alliances between countries are critical to the Caribbean becoming self-sufficient in the production of nutritious food. Each individual country does not have the requisite natural resources, especially land and water, to produce all it needs.
He said as a result, the Mia Mottley government eagerly embraced CARICOM’s 25×25 vision, which challenges member states to reduce extra-regional agri-food imports by 25 percent by 2025.
CMC
