BARBADOS needs a population of 325 000 people, and if Minister of Education Ronald Jones gets his way, it will become a reality in ten years.
Jones, who was speaking in the House of Assembly on the Appropiation Bill 2014-2015 yesterday, made a case for a larger population so that local businesses could have access to a more diverse consumer base.
“Barbados needs a slightly bigger population. The land size of 166 square miles must not be a hindrance . . . . If it can’t be reproduced in Barbados – because the Barbados Family Planning Association (BFPA) has overdone its job – then we must open our doors and [invite] a careful selection of those who can deliver children and within a certain age range.”
He said an increase in population would “make sense of the programmes we are looking to develop in Barbados: more people paying taxes, more people eating our agricultural produce and utilising our manufactured goods and services.
