Perhaps surprisingly, the staging of Barbados’ highly anticipated Agro Fest in February saw no update of the widely anticipated Regional Food Terminal even though the March 4 issue of the Barbados Today’s report on comments made by a senior Barbadian government official on aspects of the keenly anticipated project may more than suffice for the mission.
Speaking on Friday February 3 in the Island’s Lower House, during the debate on the 2023-24 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, Chief Agricultural Officer, Keeley Holder, is quoted as saying that the creation of the Food Terminal will both provide new opportunities for trade between the two countries as well as increase the agro-processing capabilities available to the island’s farming sector. Like Guyana, Barbados envisages that the development of its agro-processing sector can go a long way towards enhancing the country’s manufacturing sector.
The likelihood of cooperation between Guyana and Barbados in the sector reportedly arose between local and Barbadian agro processors during the recently concluded 2023 Barbados Agro Fest. During the Barbados Lower House Debate, Holder was quoted as saying that collaboration “opens up the opportunity for greater agro-processing above and beyond what we would be able to do in Barbados.” Critically, she reportedly pointed out that meaningful involvement in the agro-processing sector requires that the potential investor have access to “affordable and abundant supplies of raw materials”, “a critical point for the manufacturing sector.”
The Barbadian official reportedly told the debate that the setting up of a Regional Food Terminal creates an opportunity for Barbados to enhance its agro-processing capacity. Setting aside the CARICOM member country’s role in the Regional Food Terminal, Holder disclosed that discussions were underway between Barbados’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry and “major farming stakeholders” which are expected to lead to the implementation of a programme aimed at increasing the pack house facilities for food storage on the island.
