Insurer signs as Agrofest sponsor, offering farmers financial advice

Agrofest 2024 will focus on educating farmers and agriculture workers on the importance of financial planning and stability, said the exhibition’s organiser, the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) on Wednesday after signing a sponsorship deal with insurance company Guardian Life.

BAS Chief Executive Officer James Paul toured the national exhibition’s site at Queen’s Park with Gregg Mannette, vice president of sales at Guardian Life Caribbean Ltd, as the two organisations announced their cooperation.

Paul said many of this year’s exhibitors will have access to agents from the insurance company to advise them on its products aimed at stabilising their businesses financially.

“First of all, I want to say that I see this partnership as answering some of the questions that farmers have in terms of how do we survive over the long term. Farming is one of the more riskier of businesses…things do happen. In ordinary work, people think nothing of insurance, [and] in farming it hardly happens,” he told reporters.

“It is important [that farmers] do financial planning. In some years, as you know, you make extremely good money, but in some years it is rough, so how do you actually make sure that your earnings go over a straight line over a number of years? That calls for financial planning.”

Mannette, who revealed that Guardian Life will have several booths on-site during the three-day event beginning next Friday, said his organisation was proud to come on board to support the popular annual event, particularly given agriculture’s importance to the island’s economy.

“As small island states, we need agriculture and tourism to drive our economies,” he said. “There is also a very clear relationship between securing one’s self and industry financially, ensuring that the Barbadian farmers, both the livestock and agro farming, would be able to have an opportunity to also plan for their futures while they take care of our household needs.

“So the opportunity to engage with the Barbados public is paramount in our desire to be of service. It also plays on our corporate social responsibility aspect of education, and assisting societies such as the BAS to continue their great work in bringing agriculture and farming to the fore, and helping the population as a whole to appreciate it.”

This year, 250 exhibitions will be on display and more than 60 000 people are expected to pass through the exhibition now in its 18th year. (SB)