Barbados imports about 10.2 million kilogrammes of fresh produce, 2.15 million kilogrammes of beef, 1.12 million kilogrammes of pork and half a million kilogrammes of mutton and lamb annually, spending about $77 million on the four categories alone.
The figures highlight the island’s dependence on overseas food supplies, with local farmers producing about $300 million in food annually against a food import bill of $957 million.
Research by the University of the West Indies’ Centre for Agricultural Research and Innovation (CAGRI) shows that Barbados consistently produces less than 30 per cent of the food it consumes across the board.
Researcher and CAGRI director Dr Michele Singh said the 2025 data from the Ministry of Agriculture showed significant gaps between local production and demand for fresh produce and several types of meat.
“Fresh produce – beef, pork and lamb together – add up to about 17.6 million kilogrammes of demand a year while local farmers supply about 3.7 million of that. That’s roughly one in five kilogrammes. It varies a lot by product. Fresh produce is just under 20 per cent local, beef is closer to 27 per cent, pork is about 21 per cent and mutton and lamb are under ten per cent. We import about ten kilogrammes of lamb for every one we raise,” she said.
Largest import category
Fresh produce was the largest import category among those analysed, costing approximately US$25.6 million annually. Beef accounted for another US$8.6 million, while pork, mutton and lamb made up the remainder of the combined US$38.5 million bill.
“By value, those four categories cost about US$38.5 million a year in foreign exchange. That’s roughly BDS$77 million. Fresh produce is the largest share at about US$25.6 million, then beef at US$8.6 million. However, this covers only part of the bill. We also import wheat, rice, dairy, animal feed and a lot of processed food. None of those can be replaced quickly and some can’t be replaced at all,” Singh said.
She noted that poultry and eggs were historically different, as local producers usually covered most of the demand, although those categories were outside CAGRI’s analysis.
The food import bill is also driven by the demands of the tourism industry, which accounts for a substantial share of imported food consumed.
Acting chief executive officer of the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC), Dr Claire Durant, told the Weekend Nation: “Approximately 20 per cent of all imported items are utilised in the tourism industry and as we know, the average length of stay of visitors, along with the fact that a percentage of the total persons on island at any time are tourists, impacts the food needs.”
Durant said the tourism industry was heavily dependent on high quality/high grade crops, with vegetables, temperate fruits, beef, mutton and pork among the food items in demand.
To increase local supplies, the BADMC has introduced its Bajan Harvest Hub to work with farmers supplying speciality crops to the tourism industry. Its Crop Escalation Programme also targets 16 traditionally imported staple and vegetable crops for local production.
President of the Barbados Agricultural Society, Henderson Williams, said there was significant hope invested in those crops because of the gap between imports and local production.
Singh identified fresh produce, small ruminants (sheep and so on), pork and beef as the areas with the greatest potential for increasing domestic output.
“Fresh produce is the biggest gap and the crops suit our climate. Onions, sweet peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, leafy greens and cucumbers are the obvious ones. Root crops like sweet potato and yam are already doing well. Protected growing, such as shade houses and greenhouses, could help us get more out of each acre and grow through the dry months.
“As for small ruminants, mutton and lamb have the widest gap relative to what we raise. The market is there, the animals do well here and they need less land than cattle. Then there is pork and beef; both have room to grow, but they depend on feed. Most of our feed grain is imported, so feed prices will decide how much of that growth is profitable. There’s a health angle too – more fresh, local produce on plates helps farmers and families both,” she said.
However, closing the production gap would require substantial investment. Singh said CAGRI’s estimates indicated that about US$87 million would be needed to close the gap in fresh produce, beef, pork and lamb, potentially saving about US$38.5 million in foreign exchange annually.
She said fresh produce would require approximately US$77 million, compared with about US$11 million for livestock.
Singh cautioned that the figures were modelled estimates intended to demonstrate the scale of the opportunity, rather than an established plan. (CA)