Chief executive officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS),?James Paul, wants to know why the local Subway sandwich chain can’t operate on the same playing field as other restaurants and make money.
Yesterday, Paul told the WEEKEND?NATION that he was disappointed to hear complaints from Alfundi Investments Limited, which brought the American restaurant chain to Barbados almost three years ago, that some of the meats required for the subway chain were not available in Barbados.
Paul told a Press briefing that those processed meats were available here at high quality and any attempt to bypass local farmers would jeopardize the employment of about 500 Barbadians.
“We as Barbadians complain every year about the high food bill,” he said. “We are going nearly $750 million being imported every year for food. Can we be serious as Barbadians if we have a businessman asking us to push the envelope a little more.
“Where are we going to get the foreign exchange in this country to pay for the food bill which would approach near $1 billion as a result of the action that he is asking to take.”
