More acreage for crops, says minister

The Ministry of Agriculture is eyeing an additional 200 acres of arable land as it seeks to expand on a plan that has already yielded a 16 per cent increase in agricultural production during a persistent drought and a raging pandemic.

“The sector has seen 16 per cent growth between January and June, in spite of the COVID period,” Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir told Barbados TODAY.

“You may recall that prior to the COVID shutdowns, we had projected an increase in production for non-sugar agriculture. We worked out a plan that I presented in Parliament and we identified 685 acres of land to go into production. At the end of June, that had increased to about 757 acres, so we surpassed the target,” he revealed.

While admitting that drought conditions have hurt the production of okras, cucumbers, and carrots, he stressed that numerous crops including yams, eddoes, beets, eggplant, and pumpkins have increased significantly, according to ministry statistics.

Weir added that during this month and later in the year, the ministry would be taking aim at the country’s massive food import bill by pushing increases in crops that are largely imported, but which can be cultivated here. Broccoli, for example is imported to the tune of $7 million per annum and will be one of the new crops coming on stream in a trial programme.

“More land is going into cultivation. Wakefield will come on stream this month. That is over 200 acres and others will be coming on stream, so that in the next half of the year, we should see more than a 16 per cent growth once everything else remains as is, and given that we are in the rainy season, farmers will now have rain-fed agricultural production.

“So I expect to see more production unless the rains are such that the farmers are not allowed to get out there,” Weir said.

“We are also targeting carrots which are low hanging fruit because we already know how to grow carrots, so we don’t have to do any trials, we just need to get it right and have a consistent supply of water at a price that is affordable,” he added.

The agriculture ministry will also continue efforts to provide consistent and affordable supplies of water to local farmers. Weir said that a short-term plan to install dams at River, St Philip, Spring Hall Land Lease, and Wakefield Plantation would be instrumental for water storage for use  in times of drought.

“The impact of these droughts now has gotten worse and we have to have consistent supplies of water. We will also have to start looking at the disparity between water from irrigated districts and BWA metres and address that as well to place all farmers on a level playing field with regard to water rates,” the agriculture minister added. (KS)