Food production in this island is being boosted further due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Minister in the Ministry of Finance Ryan Straughn said yesterday during the Appropriations Bill debate that while the Ministry of Agriculture had already started to boost food production long before the coronavirus outbreak began, a further increase was being pushed in light of the impact the novel coronavirus could have on the world’s food supply chain.
“The ministry has been planning with respect as to how they were going to achieve food security, but circumstances have reached the point now where an accelerated timeline has to be put in place,” he said.
Straughn told the Lower House that over the course of the next six months, the country was looking at increasing the local production of food, as well as local manufacturing capable of supporting some of the agricultural sector’s processing.
“Whilst we are hoping for the best, we plan for the absolute worst. It is likely that life as we know it will have to adapted slightly in terms of what we eat and how we eat it,” he added.
Straughn also outlined the importance of not only engaging farmers, but in using up the vacant plots of land for the purpose of feeding the nation.
“It is important not just for the ministry to engage the farmers, but a lot of the spaces we have around us, that can be made arable, people are going to have to come on board and respond to increase the food production in whatever space we can use, because this is going to be part of the response for the government of Barbados to make sure we can feed our people, conscious that logistically the global supply chain can be disrupted and if it is disrupted, we have to be capable of feeding ourselves,” he stated.
Saying the island was already self-sufficient in chicken, he nevertheless noted there were other proponents that had to be considered. (JMB)