EDITORIAL: Great hope for BARMIS in improving agriculture sector

The long-awaited information system for agriculture producers has been launched and it is hoped that with this new endeavour, Barbadians can benefit from fair pricing for products and the country from a reduced food import bill.

Almost a decade ago, Minister of Agriculture, Dr. David Estwick, indicated that plans were on the cards to establish a database which would manage agricultural production and trade within the sector. This past Friday the Barbados Agricultural Marketing and Information System (BARMIS) was launched, which will bridge the gap between the sellers and buyers of agricultural and fishery products.

Speaking at the launch,the Minister “explained that the lack of proper communication between sellers and buyers of agricultural produce has resulted in a fragmented production system… which prevents the sector from being able to effectively drive domestic production. He continued: “For too long in Barbados we have had the demand side of the equation, general consumers whether it is Ma and Pa up the street, whether it is a hotelier, whether it is a fast food restaurant, whether it is a guesthouse or a supermarket, indicating that they can’t get product x and product y, but product x and product y are being produced in St. Lucy or the top of St. Philip. The issue has always been that there was no way for the hotelier to know that these products exist and that they exist in the quantities that they require on a monthly or annual basis,” he said.
This phenomenon was evident a few short weeks ago here in Barbados with regard to tomatoes, resulting in the produce being imported and sold at some supermarkets at exorbitant prices, while a few other smaller shops were able to carry the local variety at far cheaper costs.

With the launch of BARMIS, this would no longer occur. Instead, farmers will be required to provide information with regard to the products they carry, the price of those products and those would be listed in an organised fashion on the Internet. “So that an individual can now compare and contrast, he can now determine whether his price is out the range or in the range. It also gives the consumer an opportunity to determine how he wants to spend his money,” the Minister noted.

He also indicated that the system should assist producers in improving their operations, and help with the food import bill since restaurateurs for instance, would not be able say that they cannot access local produce, as they would have a large body from which source items.

The launch of BARMIS coincides with the upcoming launch of Agrofest 2018 and also with the Ministry’s push to encourage homeowners to pursue backyard gardening. It is hoped that with this increased focus on developing local agriculture that every Barbadian picks up the mantle and get involved in agriculture in some manner, even if it is only to support local producers and boost the sector.