BADMC to review yam prices by April

Barbadians hoping for relief from high yam prices will now have to wait until the end of the first quarter of the year.

This was revealed by Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC), Dr Claire Durant, who said the recent theft of 10 000 pounds of yams from the BADMC-managed farmland in St John, had derailed a planned price reduction programme.

In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Dr Durant said the loss had significantly setback efforts to bring domestic yams to the public at more affordable rates, even as retail prices continue to climb. 

“From the BADMC, we lost approximately 10 000 pounds of yam,” she told this paper in an exclusive interview, explaining that the crops were stolen from the corporation’s Lemon Arbour fields in St John, where yams and other staples are cultivated.

The theft comes at a time when domestic yams are already scarce and retail prices have risen sharply. Currently, market rates for yam range between $6 and $7 per pound. 

The stolen crop represents an estimated loss of up to $70 000. 

Dr Durant said the BADMC’s intervention in the market was designed specifically to counter that trend. 

“The purpose of growing this large amount of crops is that we could help to bring down the prices. So in 2026, we were targeting about $2.50 [per pound] for the price of yams,” she said.

“Because of the large acreage, obviously if it’s stolen, then we don’t have that available for the public. The project is still on track, in that we do have other acreage that are planted, and we will be pressing ahead with our goal of increasing the availability of these products.”

As for when consumers can expect relief on yam prices, Dr Durant said the timeline had shifted. 

“Barbadians love the January yams, but we’ll have to push that back just a little bit more before we are able to supply the public,” she said. “Let’s say give it about three months.” 

Against the backdrop of rising praedial larceny across the island, the BADMC theft forms part of a wider pattern. An estimated 30 000 pounds of yams were stolen over the Christmas period and early New Year, with a further 20 000 pounds stolen from private farmland in St John owned by veteran farmer Richard Armstrong, one of the island’s largest root crop producers.

Dr Durant described the situation as deeply concerning, particularly for smaller farmers. 

“For a large corporation like BADMC, it is a setback. But for a smaller farmer, for example, if a large acreage was stolen from a small farmer, then it would be much more challenging,” she said.

She said the corporation had intensified its response, working closely with law enforcement and surrounding communities. 

“We have been working closely with the police, Deputy Commissioner Ian Branch, and because the Christ Church/St Philip area falls under the Southern Division, Inspector Anthony Warner. With regard to this area, we have more patrols, and we have asked the neighbours around there to be vigilant,” Dr Claire said.

The BADMC has also moved to tighten controls along the supply chain. Dr Durant said the corporation had rolled out a numbered receipt book system to help verify the legitimacy of produce being sold.

“Over the last couple of weeks, we have produced this book that is kind of like a receipt book, which we have distributed to farmers, and we will continue to roll that out. 

“When the farmer is selling produce and also receiving produce, it’s like a receipt book where it has the farmer’s information; the farmer ID, and information about the produce,” Dr Durant said.

She said businesses had also been warned to exercise due diligence. 

“We have spoken to all of the outlets to let them know that obviously any farmer or any person who is trying to sell these products, you have to make sure that they are valid,” she said.

The vending community has pushed back against suggestions that vendors are fuelling the surge in crop thefts. 

President of the Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors, and Entrepreneurs (BARVEN), Alister Alexander, said while the organisation could not speak for every individual vendor, it rejected attempts to portray vendors as complicit, maintaining that the vast majority sourced produce through legal channels.

Agriculture Minister Indar Weir also issued a stern warning to both consumers and vendors, cautioning that thefts on this scale would inevitably reach the market if not confronted.