Aid package to support small poultry producers amid challenges

Barbados is grappling with a significant chicken shortage after losing more than 156 000 cases of birds during the summer, Minister of Agriculture Indar Weir confirmed Monday, slamming the country’s leading farm association’s repeated denials of scarcity.

The crisis, attributed to extreme heat conditions and a sharp increase in demand, has led to empty supermarket shelves across the island as production fails to meet consumption needs.

Appearing on the Down to Brass Tacks call-in radio programme on Monday, Weir criticised the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) for previously denying the existence of supply issues.

“I think James Paul and the BAS owe it to Barbados to come back to them and tell Barbadians why they were constantly saying there was no shortage of chicken.

“The reality is that the demand is greater now than the chicken that has been produced,” he added, acknowledging the current mismatch between supply and demand in the poultry industry.

The minister disclosed that small-scale farmers were particularly affected by the summer heat wave.

“Around July, August… we lost 156 000 cases of birds which means that the small farmers who do not have the facilities to withstand the heat opted out of placing birds at that period,” Weir explained.

In response to the crisis, the government has allocated $2 million in loans through BAS to assist small poultry producers.

“We have made funds available through the Barbados Agricultural Society, $2 million, to give loans to small farmers who want to retrofit their pens,” said Weir.

The funding aims to help farmers install cooling systems essential for maintaining production during high temperatures.

Weir also defended his ministry’s efforts to improve water access for farmers, highlighting several ongoing initiatives. These include damming projects and partnerships with the Barbados Water Authority to strengthen the agricultural sector’s infrastructure.

“We’ve been damming water in Barbados…. If you go down to Lears [Plantation], you see there’s a dam over there – over 22 million gallons, I believe it is,” he said, emphasising the government’s commitment to agricultural resilience. (SM)