I THINK IT WAS Bizzy Williams who said Barbadians are regulated into paralysis. I agree this is often the case, and it can retard progress. But like most things in Barbados, it’s not consistent. Some controls are overdone while others are “underdone”.
Like the lack of regulation which has contributed to the grief of CLICO policyholders in recent years and the present de-regulation of interest rates paid and charged by banks.
As a businessman was recently reported in the NATION newspaper as saying, interest paid on deposits is in the vicinity of 0.5 per cent (and now 0.25 per cent at some banks) while interest charged on loans (six to 12.5 per cent) hasn’t seen a commensurate reduction.
Apparently this excessive spread, which translates into a 1 200 to 2 400 per cent mark-up, is to compensate for the reduction in the number of loans being taken these days, and of course the sacred bottom line of banks must be maintained at all costs.
This is a very different approach from that of banks in Canada which have lowered lending rates to attract clients. Apparently, you can even get an interest-free vehicle loan if you repay in four years. But not so with our banks. We, the public, wait patiently to see how long Government will allow banks to ride roughshod over us.
Then, of course, there’s the constant flouting of regulations intended to limit imports of chicken wings as well as vegetables, especially onions, during our harvest season. Chicken and turkey wings are allowed into Barbados, apparently to cater to the protein needs of lower income persons, but the poundage is supposed to be controlled.
However, those in the poultry industry fight a constant – but often losing battle to prevent this regulation from being abused. Just recently we experienced an onslaught of imported wings which is having a negative effect on the local industry, and although some action seems to have been taken this time, the question still remains: how did the chicken enter the island without being detected? After all, we’re talking container loads, not thimblefuls.
Can Minister Donville Inniss tell us where he stands on importation of products when there’s an ample local supply? Sometimes we hear we must be competitive and there should be no protection from imports, but at other times it seems to be accepted that the imported product is subsidised and therefore we should level the playing field by imposing control. Which is it, Minister Inniss?
Continuing on the subject of local chicken, I’ve been hearing some unfortunate comments on radio and in the press implying that the “the plump butts” of Bajan women are maybe connected to consuming“steroid-filled chicken”. My response to that is, “it certainly can’t be the chicken produced by our local poultry farmers”.
There’s a myth being perpetuated that the only way chickens could possibly reach marketable size in five to six weeks is if they’re fed hormones. On the contrary, broiler breeds are specially bred for rapid weight gain if kept in a clean environment and fed a balanced diet. Just as you wouldn’t use zebu cows in a modern dairy industry because they weren’t bred for milk production, you wouldn’t grow yard fowls in a commercial poultry industry.
Our poultry farmers have improved their sanitation considerably over the years and have also introduced modern “tunnel ventilation” technology which enhances growing conditions to allow maximum growth rates. Our lone feed manufacturer uses no growth-promoting antibiotics in its feed, but rather “probiotics”, just like those contained in the yogurt which we humans seek out as a health food.
On the other hand, we can’t vouch for the feed fed to, or the growing conditions of, the imported wings. We have no idea if they are “steroid filled”. Maybe this is where the “big butt” problem lies, but for most Bajans, “if it’s imported, it’s OK”. I beg to differ.
Have you noticed how many foreign products are recalled every year? And how many outbreaks of listeria, salmonella and so on are reported in the developed countries from whence we import produce? Isn’t it safer to stick with what you know?
Finally, can anyone explain the significant increase in the numbers of “feral fowls”, chicks afoot, wandering everywhere – in car parks, by the roadside, in supermarket yards and apparently even on the lawn at Ilaro Court?
• Dr Frances Chandler is a former Independent senator. Email: fchandler@caribsurf.com