#BTColumn – Plant yam and sweet potato

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today.

by Michael Ray

I want to join with letter-writer Trevor R. Shepherd and re-emphasize the idea that more yams and sweet potatoes should be grown, even if some and not all golf courses be dug up.

Only God knows how long it will take for tourists to return to the shores of Barbados with a second wave of the Coronavirus expected to continue its rampage across the globe.

The harsh and unpalatable reality is that tourists and other visitors to our island are the carriers of this dreaded virus that erupted during the latter half of 2019 in the city of Wuhan, China.

Thankfully, there is hope in discovering a vaccine to combat this dreadful pandemic.

But why plant yam and sweet potato? Well, whether or not the virus is eradicated, thousands of Barbadians have to regain meaningful employment and that is a place to start.

An industry centred around yams and potatoes with a supporting agro-processing arm will create jobs, earn foreign currency, build a food security barrier of availability, affordability and quality for our citizenry and ultimately contribute to our gross domestic product.

A variety of by-products can be manufactured with related jobs and range from flour, starch, edible chips and wedges, purees, livestock feed, alcoholic beverages, liquid waste and organic fertilizer.

Indeed, a chain of jobs can be created from the planting stage to the final stage where organic fertilizer is added to the soil. The wide range of jobs will include sowers, harvesters, retailers, marketers, clerical, administrative, technical and mechanical workers as well as self-employed entrepreneurs such as chefs, bakers and vendors – the types of jobs are limitless.

With an unemployment level now close to 40 per cent, it is important that sustainable jobs are created. I therefore concur with my fellow letter-writer and say “plant sweet potato and yam”.

There are lessons we should learn, and more.