Plans to boost fruit production to help reduce imported varieties

October 2023 should see more Barbadians consuming papaya and less reliance on imported fruit. This was the claim made by Allister Glean, representative of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). He made this statement at a recent two-day production training hosted by IICA and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security. The training was part of an overall initiative to boost papaya production in Barbados as a means of import substitution and achieving the reduction of the regional food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.

Glean hailed the producers present as “heroes” who would make the goals a reality. However, he also stressed that the media and consumers would play a critical role in boosting production and consumption. Juan Chaez, representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) advised producers to examine the key market segments to determine where opportunities existed as well as to determine where value could be added. He stressed the value of having the buyers involved in the development efforts.

During his feature address, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security Indar Weir highlighted the commitment of the ministry to boost production and work with producers. He indicated an interest in providing additional support and pledged to work with agencies such as IICA, FAO and the Caribbean Agricultural Development Institute (CARDI) to not only boost production but also facilitate farmers’ access to markets. The Minister stressed that he did not come to give a speech but rather support the production drive. He added this was a good time to put additional acres under production not only in papaya but other crops.

Michael James, Acting Chief Agricultural Officer, said the industry had experienced various setbacks. He noted that with the upcoming publication of a production manual done by the Ministry and IICA, as well as training, research and other efforts, he was confident that the industry would return to previous levels of significance.

The training was primarily facilitated by consultant Stevenson Skeete who outlined optimum production practices contained in the manual. He provided critical insights on pre-production and production guidelines. Tony Rawlins of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security shared an overview of the Global Market and Industry and also shared post-harvest guidelines to producers. He stressed that post-harvest handling was a key means of ensuring that farmers reduce spoilage and ensure consumer acceptance.

Bret Taylor addressed the issue of  pests that impacted the fruit while Michael James highlighted the diseases that affect papaya. The dialogue focused heavily on the bunchy top disease which had played a role in damaging the industry. The team highlighted that with improved production practices and the introduction by the Ministry of more bunchy top resistant varieties, this would drive the resuscitation of the industry.

The sessions also focused on highlighting the cost of production and marketing of the fruit. These were major issues for attendees. One participant queried where the increased volume of papaya would be sold. Facilitators proposed that improved marketing strategies were required by producers as well as the industry development team. There was also agreement that an overall industry promotional exercise was required to increase local interest in the fruit.

The overall effort aims at displacing a particular percentage of fruit imports. Farmers were therefore encouraged to increase acreages under production and be connected to buyers. The general message on the day was that farmers would not be alone and that all players would work together to achieve the various targets.

(PR)