Shortages loom, prices to soar as imports falter

Consumers were on Monday put on alert for a potential increase in the price of produce due to a scarcity of food, as the spokesman for the island’s vendors called for urgent action to address rising import dependency.

The Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors and Entrepreneurs (BARVEN) on Monday demanded a stakeholder consultation amid warnings that the situation could worsen ahead of the Christmas season.

Market vendors at Cheapside told Barbados TODAY of severe shortages in both local produce and regional imports, exacerbated by disrupted shipping schedules from neighbouring islands following recent hurricane damage.

“The boat that used to come from St Vincent every week, it coming now every other week, cause down there don’t have the amount of food like before since the bad weather,” said Althea, a vendor at the market.

BARVEN Vice President Erskine Forde told Barbados TODAY that farmers are struggling with mounting operational costs. 

“The food is very scarce, the price of the food is very high,” he explained. “The farmers have a big problem, too, where they don’t have the different components that you need to get their farms running properly — fertilisers, chemicals; can’t really get labour as you would like either; even the water price is very challenging.”

Wholesale prices have surged dramatically, with boxes of imported tomatoes now costing $135 and oranges starting at $100. Local production has been particularly affected by current weather conditions, with lettuce and cucumber yields hampered by the rainy season.

Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors and Entrepreneurs Vice President Erskine Forde. (LG)

Vendor Selvin Evelyn highlighted the impact on consumer behaviour: “The food is very expensive and people don’t seem to have the money to be able to shop. So you have to be very selective as to what you buy and what you don’t buy because things that carry a short shelf life you would tend to avoid because purchasing power is not really here.”

Forde criticised the allocation of agricultural land for housing developments, arguing that Barbados has sufficient land to boost domestic food production: “We have enough land in Barbados to produce this food that we need. It takes all the players to come together to make this thing happen.”

Vendor Chris Harris. (LG)

Chris Harris, another vendor, noted the global nature of the crisis: “It’s something that’s all over the world, it’s not just Barbados; food gone up, you hardly getting food and then the demand real high.”

The situation has prompted some farmers to abandon agriculture for more profitable sectors such as construction, further straining local food production capacity, Forde said. 

Whilst seasonal produce like breadfruit remains relatively affordable at $6 to $7 each, other staples such as sweet potatoes have become increasingly scarce and expensive.

Forde warned that the challenges faced by farmers will lead to higher prices and an increase in food imports during the Christmas season to meet demand.

“Certain things we’re not going to get—we don’t have them. Tomatoes and sweet peppers, those are things we’re going to have to import, and the price is going to be so high to bring in those foods. As a vendor, you have to be careful; you gotta buy just enough to last you for the day, get it off your hands,” he said.

Storage is another issue for some of these farmers and vendors, with Forde explaining: “Most of those vendors don’t have a cooler, so they have to sell it as soon as they get it.”

He is also advocating for security measures for farmers. 

“We need that encouragement, that buffer there so you can breathe. And right now we see too many deep waters,” the BARVEN official said.

louriannegraham@barbadostoday.bb