By Shamar Blunt
The Budget’s support for the island’s dairy and crop farmers in the form of increased rebates is “crucial” for the growth of farming, two agricultural leaders have told Barbados TODAY.
The President of the Dairy and Beef Producers Association, Annette Beckett, and Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) James Paul weighed in on the wide array of aid measures targeting the farming industry.
Beckett said that the announced rebate on cow purchases rising from 50 per cent (maximum $4 000) to 80 per cent (maximum $6 400) per cow, was a great sign for farmers.
“It’s not just a step in the right direction, it is a crucial step at this time, because we must get those cows in, in order to raise the production so that Pine Hill Dairy can have the milk to export. It’s a cycle,” she said. “We are elated that the rebate has been raised to 80 per cent…. What it is, is that whatever the cost of the cow that we are bringing in, $6 400 is going to be the rebate of the price, which is great. Cows usually cost about $9 000 now.”
Beckett also said the 45 per cent rebate on hay purchases for three years, including the 60 per cent rebate (up to $40 000) on forage harvesters, trailers, and other harvesting equipment, should improve the profitability prospects for farmers and increase milk production.
“In that Budget speech, [the prime minister] spoke [of] an incentive for hay, which is [good]. Overall it is a good package for the dairy industry because it covers several aspects of the industry. Also [incentives for] equipment [and] housing for the animals, that has also gone up. It is a total package that will redound to the efficiency and financial viability of the farmers,” she said.
President of the Dairy and Beef Producers Association Annette Beckett. (FP)
Paul backed Beckett on the rebates for forage harvesters, saying that nutritious forage for animals has been overlooked for far too long.
“One of the things in Barbados that we do is take for granted a lot, the quality of the forage that is provided to the animals … .The whole question of forage management is something that we need to pay attention to in order for this particular rebate to be successful,” he said.
“You don’t want a situation where the quality of the forage being provided to the animals does not meet the nutritional requirements for the animals at the same time.”
Some of the other rebates included in the Budget were a $1 000 incentive per young heifer for stock replenishment; rebate on establishing pasture lands increased from $202 to $1 000 per acre; rebate for infrastructure repair increased from 25 per cent (max $60 000) to 40 per cent (max $600 000) and 60 per cent rebate (max $60 000) for upgrading to innovative and digital technologies.
“Over the years, farmers have always been looking to introduce new technologies, so I would expect that with some research and some assistance we in the BAS can give to farmers, that certainly we want to try to take advantage of that particular rebate,” Paul said.
Meanwhile, the BAS head called for a refocusing of efforts to improve veterinary services, as the country currently lacks a robust group of professionals who can tend to large animals.
“One of the big issues we have in Barbados is the shortage of large animal vets. Many of the vets that are basically graduating from school today, a lot of them are just interested in pets. What we need in Barbados is a greater cadre of large animal vets,” he said.
