BAS slams exclusion from Barbados-Guyana Food Terminal planning

Barbadian farmers have been effectively shut out of the planning and development of the Barbados-Guyana Food Terminal, their chief spokesman claimed on Monday, cautioning that without meaningful consultation and a viable business model, this key project in the region’s food security agenda could fail to deliver for domestic producers.

In an interview with Barbados TODAY, James Paul, chief executive of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS), also criticised what he described as a top-down approach to regional agriculture policy, including the 25 by 25 initiative — now extended to 2030 — aimed at reducing food imports by one quarter, another ambitious goal which the agricultural sector advocate also believes was set without proper consultation.

“To set such a target without full consultation with the regional farming community — and the business community that handles distribution — is risky,” he said.

“Governments don’t produce; it’s the private sector. If they’re not involved from the start, the targets won’t be met.”

Also at risk of failing without proper discussion with those who matter, according to Paul, is the terminal, which he said must make “business sense” to the farming community if it is to succeed.

“As far as I’m aware, we at the BAS have not been told what role the local farming community is going to play in the terminal,” he said.

“That doesn’t mean the government hasn’t spoken to individual persons through the BADMC [the state-owned Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Company], but there has not been that broader engagement through the farmers’ organisation—and that’s a mistake.”

Paul stressed that initiatives like the terminal, meant to support the now-delayed regional food security goal of reducing food imports by 25 per cent, must be grounded in reality.

“Governments don’t produce—the private sector produces. And farmers are part of that private sector. If it doesn’t make business sense, the private sector will not invest. Farmers won’t either.”

The terminal, being developed at Lears, St Michael, in partnership with Guyana and private investors, was initially slated for completion in 2025 but is now expected to be operational by the end of 2026.

It is intended to serve as a regional hub for storing, processing, and distributing agricultural products under CARICOM’s broader food security strategy.

Paul further questioned whether the infrastructure alone would be enough to attract farmer participation.

“We need to know: what’s the business model? Will local farmers be able to use it to increase their supply and access to markets, or will it simply facilitate imports from Guyana?” he asked.

“These are the things that should be ironed out in proper consultation.”

Asked about whether the government is investing enough in agriculture, the BAS official said that public investment should be directed at strengthening existing value chains rather than at introducing new projects.

“It should be invested in areas that support current local producers, not new experiments that bypass the people already doing the work,” Paul declared.

“There has to be buy-in from the people who will make this work — and that requires more information, more consultation.”

Though praising the initiative as a step in the right direction, BAS President Henderson Williams echoed Paul’s concerns, stressing that Barbados must focus on meeting its own nutritional needs before expanding into regional exports.

“We cannot export food if we can’t satisfy our own needs,” Williams said.

“There must be a greater emphasis on ensuring Barbadians get access to quality, nutritious food first.”

He also pointed to rising global trade tensions, including new tariffs and retaliatory trade actions, that could disrupt supply chains and hurt small economies like Barbados.

“If there are unfair or competitive practices in the marketplace, then we need to push back on them,” Williams added.

Minister of Agriculture Indar Weir could not be reached for comment on the terminal’s progress and the inclusion of Barbadian farmers.

The Barbados-Guyana Food Terminal is one of the key infrastructure projects under CARICOM’s regional food security push.

It is expected to feature cold storage, packaging and processing facilities, and aims to reduce the region’s $6 billion food import bill — a target now pushed back to 2030 following setbacks caused by natural disasters and global supply chain instability.

The BAS officials are cautioning that unless producers are brought into the fold early, the region could be left with another well-meaning but underused facility.

“Politicians like to make these grand projections but at the same time there must be a level of consultation with the very stakeholders who are actually going to do the job,” Paul said. 

shannamoore@barbadostoday.bb